Arcturus Black
by Katerinaki
Summary: Arcturus Black lost his mother to dragon pox. Now he lives with his Squib aunt and uncle who hate him because he has magic, or maybe because he's the son of notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black and his Hogwarts sweetheart Lenora Malfoy. Maybe he can make some friends at Hogwarts but at least he'll prove once and for all that he's NOT LIKE HIS FATHER.
1. Chapter 1: A New Place

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 9/22/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 1: A New Place

If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. It wasn't your fault your parents both "ran away" and abandoned their duties to their families. It wasn't your fault you were born in secret in a country 2,500 kilometres away. You were only just a thought back when your mother boarded that Muggle airplane and flew off to live in Bucharest, Romania and take up a job as a magical bookstore saleswoman and then successful owner. You weren't a twinkle in the sky when your father left his parents' house at 16 and lived with his best friend, a blood traitor. But that doesn't mean anything. Not when it comes to besmirching the name of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. They did the deed, but you are their product, and therefore your blood is just as bad as theirs.

That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics. He knew that, until a week ago, neither the Black family nor the Malfoy family knew of his existence. Since both his parents had been disavowed from the respective families (his father had literally been blasted off the tapestry of the Black Family tree by Arcturus's late grandmother, Walburga, when he'd left), neither family really paid much attention if they married and who. Granted, Arcturus's parents weren't a normal couple in the slightest. From what Lenora had told him, they'd met at Hogwarts and had flirted around the idea of a relationship for the last year or so of school. Things only began to get serious when Arcturus's father joined the war effort, against the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, and they married a few months later before promptly popping out Arcturus. They'd both barely been out of their teenage years. Lenora had been living in Bucharest, but Sirius had remained in London to help with the war effort.

Of course, neither of them counted on Sirius killing thirteen Muggles and his supposed friend, Peter Pettigrew, and earning himself a lifetime sentence, rotting away in Azkaban prison. Lenora had been left to raise Arcturus alone without any way of communicating with Sirius. She'd done her best, but had succumbed to a particularly virulent strand of dragon pox (not uncommon in Romania with the large dragon population remaining in the country) and died. In her will, Arcturus had been meant to live with his father; however that was impossible since Sirius was still in Azkaban, even after eight years. So, nine year-old Arcturus found himself travelling to London in England. There, he'd live with Marius Black and his wife, Ariadne. The catch, both were Squibs and no more loved by the family then Arcturus or his own parents.

Correction, there was something worse than living with relatives that hate you for something you did not do. It's living with relatives who are jealous of you for something _they_ can't do, but you can. After all, a pair of Squibs from two of the most prominent pureblood families in England was surely dissatisfied with their lot in life. Despite the wealth they still had through successful investments and business dealings, they were sure to envy Arcturus his magic.

"Here goes," he muttered and took hold of the Portkey that would take him from the consulate for the British Ministry of Magic in Bucharest, to the Ministry's Headquarters in London, where he would meet his most unwelcoming relatives. There was a jerk from his navel and everything swirled around him, pulling Arcturus off his feet before he was dumped on a rather cold and hard marble floor.

"You okay, boy?" asked a uniformed wizard. He picked Arcturus up bodily and set him on his feet before taking the used Portkey from his hand.

"Yeah," Arcturus replied. He brushed his robes off and gathered up his trunk before turning to the other people in the small Portkey room. Well, they were certainly related to him. The man had the same dark hair, though it was brushed through with grey and combed impeccably, and aristocratic features. Both wore expensive clothing and held themselves with an atmosphere of superiority, despite being Squibs.

"Arcturus Black," the man said.

"Yeah?"

"I am your uncle, Marius, and this is your aunt, Ariadne. Is this all you have?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"What?"

"You will answer with 'yes', not 'yeah' like some common boy on the street."

"_Yes,_" Arcturus hissed back, mocking Uncle Marius's abrupt tone. His uncle chose to ignore his disrespect, though. "Come." They left the Portkey room and wandered down a few hallways before riding the elevator up and getting off at the main atrium. There they took one of the many fireplaces and Flooed from the Ministry to Marius and Ariadne's townhouse in London. They lived in a mixed community of Muggles and wizards; they were not permitted to live in the Black ancestral home. Arcturus was given a room on the third floor, a long climb to the top of the stairs, and then left alone. That was fine with him, though. It wasn't that he had a lot to unpack; it was more that he just didn't want to see much of his bitter relatives at the moment. Neither had said a word to him beyond what was necessary.

Alone in the room at the top of the stairs, Arcturus looked around and sighed heavily. It had been a long week. With the issue of his mother's will and where Arcturus would be sent, he hadn't had much time to mourn properly. After all, she was his mother. Lenora had been the only parent he'd ever known, the one who'd been there for everything, his entire life. She'd comforted him, praised him, encouraged him, scolded him, provided for him, and cared for him, all single-handedly. She hadn't had any help, from neighbours or from family, and particularly not from his father. It had been only her, and Arcturus missed her. He hadn't cried at the service; he'd held back the tears for when he was in private. It had only been the one time too, after they'd lowered her body into the ground and covered it over with dirt. The finality of it all had broken through the shock and Arcturus had finally realized, he was truly alone now. Nobody would help him; he had to care for himself, watch out for himself. On the papers, Marius and Ariadne were his guardians, but in truth he was his own guardian. After the funeral, Arcturus had begun to understand just how alone he was. He had to get used to it.

Mostly the Squibs ignored him and he ignored the Squibs. The only real time they interacted was at meal times, and that was forced. Marius would ask him what he'd been up to and often Arcturus would reply with something simple, "I was reading" or mostly a plain old "Nothing". Marius and Ariadne seemed perfectly happy to accept those less than eloquent replies and then they'd get on with their meals, the only sounds the clinking of their utensils. Occasionally, though, it would be interrupted with some sort of correction on Marius's part of Arcturus's table manners. Lenora had established well-enough manners in him, but apparently they weren't up to par with the Black family's standards. Usually it was little things, not sitting up straight enough, chewing too loudly, which only served to make Arcturus more annoyed with his uncle.

"You are a member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black," Marius lectured, one rainy evening at supper. "You must conduct yourself with decorum at all times, even at home among relatives."

"So basically I have to act like I have a stick up my arse all the time," Arcturus muttered.

Marius obviously heard and his eyes flashed with anger and frustration, but like so many times before, he didn't say anything, no matter how Arcturus tried to bate him. Arcturus wouldn't mind a good row; he'd often had rather excited ones with his mother. There was something about screaming your opinion at the top of your lungs, no matter what the other person said, that was immensely satisfying. But Arcturus hadn't had a good row since he'd come to London and it was starting to grate on him. Surely Mr. High and Mighty Squib wanted to give Arcturus a piece of his mind right now. So why didn't he?

"I mean, that's what _you_ do, isn't it? How long has that rod been up there? You might want to get it checked out, you know, just in case."

Marius's face flushed in fury and he'd long ago set his utensils down and fixed Arcturus with a glare that would surely kill an Inferius.

'This is it,' Arcturus thought in anticipation. He sat forward on his chair, ready to jump to his feet at the first above normal sound.

But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Marius methodically wiped his mouth with his napkin before placing it on the table and fixing his nephew with a very serious stare. "You are excused tonight, Arcturus. Go to your room."

"No," Arcturus replied simply.

"Do as I say."

"Mm...Make me, _Squib_."

Arcturus was sure _that_ would set Marius off. He got to his feet as his uncle did, facing off.

"I will ask you again to go to your room, Arcturus," Marius said, though there was obvious strain in his voice and he looked like he was about to explode a blood vessel.

"And I refused."

"This is your last chance to do so of your own accord."

"I'd like to see you _try_, Squib."

Well, he didn't try. He succeeded. Suddenly Marius moved, taking Arcturus by the ear and wrenching it down and away so that Arcturus could only hunch over and cry out in surprise and pain.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Language, Arcturus. You asked me to assist you to your room and I am merely complying. You are right, I do not have magic, but I am far from helpless. You will learn to mind me or you will find your time here most unpleasant. Now, this way." He steered Arcturus from the dining room, up the two flights of stairs, and to his room on the third floor. He closed the door behind him and locked it, leaving Arcturus alone with a mostly empty stomach.

"Bastard," Arcturus growled, massaging his sore ear. It seemed like his uncle had been intending to pull it right off his head, the way he'd yanked it. He was still grumbling as he picked up the book he'd been reading earlier today and took up where he'd left off. His stomach rumbled as he sat down on the bed and opened to his saved page.

"Yeah, yeah," Arcturus replied. It'd been a month and he hated it here, in London, with his father's family. 'No wonder they left,' he thought as he tried to read and ignore the stabs of hunger. 'I would too, if I could.'


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Family

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 9/22/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 2: Meeting the Family

Arcturus hadn't been with Marius and Ariadne long when it was announced that he would attend a social event at his mother's family's house, the Malfoy Manor. Of course, the Squibs themselves were not invited, but Arcturus was, despite his unsavoury parentage. Apparently the Blacks and Malfoys wanted to feel out their young member. He was, after all, technically the Heir to the House of Black. If everything continued as it was, he would inherit the ancestral house in London, as well as the Black vault and its impressive contents.

So, Arcturus was taken out and bought fancy dress robes that were itchy and stiff and made him look like a dork and then stuffed into them and sent from London to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. Upon arriving, he quickly found that it was not just the Malfoy and Black families here tonight. Apparently it was a social event for _all_ the pureblood families. Or, at least those who had not been branded blood traitors yet. Witches and wizards of all ages mingled around the room, the men in fancy dress robes like Arcturus's and the women in elegant gowns. It was obviously some sort of ball, but most stood in groups around the edges, gossiping about this or that person and how their father's brother's cousin's niece eloped with a _Muggle_, oh the dishonour! Arcturus immediately hated it all, just as he'd hated Uncle Marius and Aunt Ariadne and their stupid townhouse and snooty personalities. But if he thought Marius had a rod jammed up his arse, these people must have whole _timbers_. Some of them looked it too, the way they sneered at others and their misfortunes. Arcturus wasn't so naive to think that he wasn't one of the topics they were scoffing over. He saw the looks as he passed and heard the mutters.

"Sirius Black's son...blood traitor.._.Murderer_...raised with Muggles...practically _wild_!" Arcturus couldn't help but grin a bit at the last one. 'Well, maybe a little,'he acquiesced silently.

It didn't take long for his age-mates to find him. Like the adults, they ran in groups, also mostly split by gender. The one that approached him was led by a platinum blonde boy, obviously the son of their esteemed host Lucius Malfoy, Draco.

"You're the Black boy," he declared. "The murderer's son." The boy couldn't be older than Arcturus himself, but already he was a pompous ass.

"_Yeah_," he replied, "that's right. And who are you?" Of course Arcturus knew already, but he enjoyed the boy's reaction to his supposedly not knowing.

"I am Draco Malfoy," he replied, raising his nose as if he'd smelled something rotten, a gesture Arcturus had seen the boy's father make not five minutes before. "Heir of the Malfoy Family."

"Right," Arcturus replied. "And although 'Black boy' and 'murderer's son' both have a nice ring to them, I usually go by Arcturus Black, Heir of the Most Noble and Ancient House of _Black_." He enjoyed Draco's look of annoyance. After all, the House of Black was much older than the Malfoy family. The Malfoys were obviously French at some point, whereas 'Black' was British, through and through.

"How old are you?" Draco asked.

"Nine." Again Draco looked annoyed. So obviously the Malfoy heir was younger. He couldn't hold the 'elder' card over him.

"I bet I could beat you in Wizard's Chess," he challenged, finally looking triumphant.

"I doubt it," Arcturus replied. He was well versed in Wizard's Chess and knew all the tricks. His mother had been quite the proficient herself. It was doubtful this kid could provide a challenge.

"Let's find out." And he led his posse out the door of the ballroom and into one of the side parlours where a Wizard's Chess set was already sitting ready. No doubt that was the whole point of this room.

It was a quick game and Arcturus beat Draco thoroughly. He even toyed with him a bit and let Draco get his bishop fairly early in play. But in the end it had been a sweeping defeat and Draco looked thoroughly surly now. "Rematch," he declared. And so they played Wizard's Chess all night and Arcturus beat Draco every time. To the younger boy's credit, though, he did learn from his mistakes. Towards the end of the night, Arcturus had to really start wracking his brains for a move Draco hadn't seen before, something he wouldn't be able to catch on to. The last victory had been much closer than the first few.

"Check mate," Arcturus declared. "Good game." It was becoming a ritual. They'd shake, even though Draco likely hated Arcturus at the moment. It was the proper thing to do, and Draco was all about proper.

"You won't win next time," Draco promised. "I know all your tricks now."

"I'll bet you do," Arcturus retorted, standing and stretching. His back was stiff from sitting hunched over the chessboard for so long. What time was it anyways?

"Next time, bring your broom too. We'll play Quidditch. I have a private pitch outside." Draco seemed very proud of the private pitch and once more confident that he'd beat Arcturus. In Quidditch, it was possible at least. Arcturus wasn't horrible, but he wasn't the best flyer and hadn't had much practice, living where he had where it was easy for Muggles to see what was happening the in small yard they had behind their apartment building. If Draco had a private pitch, chances are he'd gotten a bit more practice, even if he was younger. Arcturus would have to try to find a way to practice between now and the next social event.

When he got back to Marius's house, he quickly changed and settled down to sleep, however his mind was still going over the night. It hadn't been fun, but it hadn't been horrible either. He'd played a lot of chess and had all but forgotten the stiff collar of his dress robes that was practically choking him when he'd left the house. Arcturus decided he didn't like Draco any more than Uncle Marius, Aunt Ariadne, or Lucius Malfoy. But at least the boy could provide an ample distraction. And if he had to go to those social events, better to spend the time with people closer to his age than to wander the swarms of adults and listen to all the dirt they say about each other and his parents.

Come the next time, Draco made true on his word. Arcturus brought a broom and Draco thoroughly thrashed him. Granted, Arcturus was extremely rusty and at a disadvantage since those on his team didn't really like him or knew him, but Arcturus was fairly certain Draco could've beaten him one-on-one too. He was good. Not _great_, but good at least, for someone his age. Arcturus found out that Draco was eight, though he would be nine very soon. Draco's birthday was June 5th, and Arcturus was invited, albeit reluctantly at first.

"I suppose you can come, though I doubt you'd know anybody." The group Draco hung out with normally consisted of mostly boys and one girl. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were both more brawn than brains and so thoroughly inbred, Arcturus wondered how they even functioned. Theodore Nott was Draco's sidekick, echoing almost everything Draco said and practically worshiping the ground he walked on. Pansy Parkinson was the only girl and if an eight-year old could have arm candy, she'd be Draco's. She constantly fawned over him and sang his praises. Arcturus was fairly certain Pansy already heard wedding bells, though Draco seemed not in the least bit interested in her in that way. He only tolerated her because his parents told him to and she could play a decent game of Exploding Snap.

This group Arcturus got to know at all the social events and soon became, not part of their group, but accepted as a tagalong, at least. Arcturus actually made a point _not_ to become one of Draco's cronies. It wasn't just because Arcturus was older than him. Arcturus wasn't a crony. He was more of the 'loner' type. The others seemed to recognize that and were perfectly happy to let him be that way. They tolerated him because Draco was constantly competing with him. Every time Arcturus saw him, it was something new, a new game, or maybe a rematch of an old one because Draco had learned a new move, technique, or manoeuvre. The one thing Draco could never beat Arcturus at, though, was Wizard's Chess. Arcturus remained the victor in that, whether they played once or a hundred times. Draco was never satisfied with that, though, so Arcturus was often reaffirming that title.

Draco became his competitor, a rival of sorts. The adults saw it and thought it poetic. The Heirs of two of the richest, most outstanding pureblood families, competing against one another. The fact that both were half-Black, half-Malfoy only added to the adults' amusement. It was like they were fighting over who was the _true heir_ of both houses. Neither boy saw it that way, but that's what the adults thought. Lucius Malfoy even went so far as to pull Arcturus aside privately one evening, before Draco could drag him off for whatever match they were having that night.

"I see you have become close to my son," he commented.

"I wouldn't say _close_," Arcturus replied.

"Yes. I suppose friendly adversaries would be a more fitting description," Lucius agreed. "And who often wins these 'matches' you have?"

"It depends," Arcturus told him.

"On?"

"On the game. On the night. On whether or not I want to hear Draco's whinging or his bragging for the rest of the night."

Lucius looked put out at the slight insult to his son, but he held it together and his voice and manner stayed purely informal. "Yes, well, I suppose nobody likes to lose. Good luck tonight, Mr. Black."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Arcturus replied, nodding a slight bow, more in mockery of Lucius's sudden formality rather than any feeling of respect he might have. Lucius obviously didn't see it that way, though, because he smiled a little and returned the short bow, apparently approving.

'Great, they _approve_ of me,' Arcturus thought. 'That's never good.' That night he routed Draco in Gobstones.


	3. Chapter 3: Old Friends

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 9/27/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 3: Old Friends

Arcturus had been staying with Marius and Ariadne in London for almost a year before he met anyone outside of the pureblood families. His aunt and uncle were very careful to keep his socialization to "respectable people", by their standards. Of course, none of these "respectable people" would _ever_ come to the Squibs' house, so Arcturus was surprised when the doorbell rang. He knew Marius was out and Ariadne was in the back, tending her garden. So he stood from his bed and descended the stairs to answer the door, only to find a rather ragged man standing in the doorway.

"They already donate to charities," he said immediately, assuming this guy was promoting some sort of fundraiser for homeless people or whatnot.

"Yes, I'm sure they do. However, I am not here for any charity. Am I correct to assume you are Arcturus Black?"

"Who asks?" Arcturus replied.

"My name is Remus Lupin," replied. "I am—_was_ a friend of your father's, in school."

"Was?"

"Yes, well, that was before everything happened."

"Before he murdered thirteen Muggles and Peter Pettigrew. Was Pettigrew your friend too?"

Lupin looked pained. "Yes," he said finally. "Peter was my friend as well. May I come in?"

"I don't think my aunt and uncle would like it," Arcturus began. He looked back surreptitiously before turning back to Lupin. "But I hardly ever do what they like. Come in." He stood back and allowed Lupin to step inside before closing the door. "This way." He led Lupin down the hall to the sitting parlour. Likely Marius would be a while yet and Ariadne didn't come in from her garden but once or twice a day in the summer. She'd just been inside for a brief lunch a few hours ago.

Lupin sat stiffly in one of the rather fancy armchairs in the parlour. He looked around and Arcturus could see a bit of envy in his face. It was obvious this Lupin fellow was poor as dirt.

"I'd make tea, but I'm rubbish at it. Hope you don't mind."

"No, no, of course not," Lupin insisted. His gaze finally fell to Arcturus after a sweep of the room and once more, he seemed pained. "How are you? I have not seen you since you were a toddler. You've certainly grown..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Yeah, time, food, and water will do that," Arcturus commented. "You said you were my father's friend, from school?"

"Yes. He, Peter, James, and I. It shocked me, to learn what he did. I never thought Sirius, your father, would do such a thing."

"I guess you're not really a good judge of character then, hm?"

Lupin was ready to agree with him. "I suppose not."

"If you don't mind my being blunt, why are you here?"

Lupin smiled a bit. "Well, I told you, the last time I'd seen you was when you were a toddler. I heard about your mother. I am deeply sorry."

"It's been a year now."

"It took me a while to find out where you were living now. Obviously not with...your father, I am unfortunately not a pureblood or I might have been able to find you quicker."

"Why do you want to find me?"

Lupin sighed heavily. "I remember before everything happened. Sirius—you were the centre of his world. He loved you, very much. And despite everything, the betrayal, the murder, I feel I owe it, at least to Lenora, to be here for you, in case you ever need someone..._not_ pureblood."

"Why would I need that? According to Uncle Marius and Aunt Ariadne, purebloods are the only people _worth_ knowing."

He winced. Physically winced. "I was afraid—was afraid something like this would happen. It's a pity, your mother and fa—would never have wanted this."

"Wanted what?"

"Lenora never agreed with her family's thinking. And, at least I _thought_ Sirius didn't either."

"I'm not saying I _agree_ with them," Arcturus replied. "I'm merely being thorough."

Lupin chuckled. "You are just like him."

"My father? I don't think so." Arcturus's voice dropped in his seriousness now. "I might not have any friends, but if I did, I wouldn't murder them. Sorry, I don't think I'm anything like him."

Lupin winced again, but nodded. "You're right," he agreed. They lapsed into silence before Lupin finally got up. "I should be going. I do not want to get you in trouble with your aunt and uncle."

"I'm always in trouble with them," Arcturus replied. "It comes with being their rebellious nephew."

Lupin smiled, but he headed back for the foyer. Arcturus followed, escorting him to the door.

"It was nice to meet you, Arcturus," Lupin told him. "Remember what I said. If you ever need me, for anything, don't hesitate to Floo."

Arcturus watched Lupin for a moment, but all he saw was genuine care. It was not something he'd seen since his mother died, and it caught him a little off balance. After all, Arcturus was used to caring for himself by now. He didn't need others to care. But obviously this Lupin guy did.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied before Lupin left.

He didn't see Lupin again for a long time, almost six months. And then, he saw him out at a park one snowy day, when Arcturus had managed to escape from the house while Marius and Ariadne were "out" somewhere. It was purely coincidence, but when Lupin saw Arcturus, he waved and beckoned for the boy to join him on the park bench. Arcturus sat and for a while all they did was watch the Muggle children play in the snow, making snow angels and snowmen and having snowball fights while their parents huddled nearby with a thermos of tea or coffee and chatted.

"How are you?" Lupin asked.

"Holding up. You?"

Lupin shifted stiffly. "I've been better," he replied. He certainly had looked better the last time Arcturus had seen him. The man looked even _older_, though it hadn't even been a full year. He was thinner, more haggard. His clothes were just as threadbare and the jacket he wore against the cold didn't look very thick at all.

"What's happened?"

"Hm? Oh nothing," Lupin replied absently. "Just a rough time right now. It's difficult for me to keep a job."

"That sucks," Arcturus commented. "How come?"

"Oh, this or that," Lupin said. "It depends on the employer. I think I might have something after the holidays. I just have to make ends meet until then. But enough about my problems. What are yours? How well are you 'holding up'?"

Arcturus found himself talking to Lupin for much longer than he'd first intended to stay outside. They'd started on the bench, but then they'd begun to get just a little too cold, so they decided to take a stroll to warm up a bit. Walking helped, or at least it stretched Arcturus's legs. He noticed that Lupin had a bit of a limp and used a cane that Arcturus hadn't noticed before when he'd been sitting to assist his walking.

"Did you injure yourself?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about. Just a bad knee. I'm sure it's just the weather making it act up. I should be fine in a few days."

They walked on for a bit, just enjoying each other's company and the gentle snowfall that had started. Arcturus was more than glad to be out of the house, even if it was just for a little bit and it was without his aunt and uncle's knowledge. But as they walked, something kept nagging at him, a thought that had been on his mind since he'd first met Lupin, who claimed to know his father so well.

"Can I ask you a question?" he hedged.

"Of course," Lupin insisted.

"Why did he do it?"

There was no need to elucidate any further on the question. Both understood the "he" and the "it" perfectly. For a while, Lupin didn't say anything. Arcturus began to think that maybe he wasn't going to answer. Maybe this was one of those questions adults just answer "because" to because actually trying to explain the concept to a child would just be too difficult.

But Lupin finally did speak and when he did, it wasn't with dimmed down language or glazed over explanations. It was the truth. "I don't know," he said simply. "Sirius, he never seemed like the sort to do something like this. I guess that's what makes the betrayal all the more hurtful. None of us ever expected him to do this, least of all to James. Sirius _hated_ his family and everything they stood for, pureblood mania, Dark magic, all of it. When they first told me, I couldn't believe it. Not Sirius, of all people. He might have a twisted sense of humour sometimes, but he'd never go out and murder anyone. It was...heart wrenching. And to have lost James and Lily too..."

"And Peter."

"And Peter," Lupin agreed, like an afterthought. "Poor Peter. He never stood a chance. Sirius was _leagues_ better than him, a stronger wizard. It was a massacre. All they found was Peter's finger."

Arcturus's gaze fell to his own fingers, gloved though they were. That was awfully small.

Lupin seemed to suddenly realize just how morbid a turn their conversation had taken. "But enough about that. Christmas is coming up soon. I've had this for a while, but I was unsure when I'd see you again. Luckily I have it with me now."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small package, wrapped in red Christmas paper, pocket size. On the front was a small tag "To Arcturus, Happy Christmas, Remus Lupin." Arcturus tore the wrapping off, crumbling it into a little ball and shoving it into his own coat pocket. It was a book, a small one with a bright yellow cover and an orange title that read "Practical Prankster".

"Basic hexes and spells for the beginning prankster," Arcturus read.

"I thought you might like to have some fun with those relatives of yours. I realize you don't have a wand yet, but you'll be eleven in the spring, yes?"

"Right," Arcturus agreed, opening the book and skimming over the table of contents. There were spells and hexes for everything. Colour changing spells, simple transfigurations, even some hexes to use on enemies. Nothing seemed overtly cruel, but they were sure to be annoying and angering. Perfect.

"Thank you," he told Lupin, the corners of his mouth upturned in a small grin. "This is perfect."

Lupin smiled too. "I'm glad you like it. We used to have a little group in school; we called ourselves 'the Marauders'. It seems silly now, but we all had nicknames and James and Sirius, they often pulled the rest of us into their schemes."

"What was your name?"

"Moony. James was Prongs, Peter was Wormtail, and Sirius was Padfoot."

"_Padfoot_? What sort of a nickname is _that_?"

Lupin chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we thought ourselves very clever at the time. They were just more jokes." He pulled a watch out of his pocket, glancing at the face and sighing. "I must be going. You should probably return too. Your aunt and uncle will be wondering where you got to."

"If they're home they will," Arcturus muttered. "Thank you again, for the book. I should've gotten you something."

Lupin shook his head, "I don't need presents. Enjoy it." They went their separate ways, but this time the break wouldn't be as long as the last time. Now that Arcturus knew Lupin was there sometime, he snuck out to the Muggle park more often. The first few times they met on coincidence again, until they started to arrange meetings, mostly around Marius and Ariadne's schedules. At first Arcturus was a bit hesitant, mainly because he really didn't know Lupin. He claimed to be Sirius's friend, and certainly seemed to know quite a bit about Sirius, Lenora, and Arcturus himself, but he was still a stranger.

That was at first, though. After a while, Lupin ceased to become a stranger. He was a friend, and then sort of an uncle. A _real_ uncle, not the sort Uncle Marius was. He cared for Arcturus, genuinely, and talked to him about his father and mother (always before Sirius had committed murder and betrayed his friends and the entire wizarding world). Come Spring, when Arcturus turned eleven and his uncle and aunt took him to Diagon Alley and bought him his first wand, Lupin began coaching him, mostly on the spells and hexes from the book he'd given Arcturus last Christmas. They never actually _did_ magic though, since they were out in the middle of a Muggle neighbourhood and Arcturus _was_ still underage. Lupin also told him about Hogwarts, which he'd be attending come fall.

Lenora had originally intended for her son to attend Durmstrang and had originally enrolled him there. But when Arcturus had come to live with Marius and Ariadne, they'd enrolled him at Hogwarts. In the summer, his Hogwarts letter came and he immediately snuck a Floo call and arranged to meet Lupin, or "Remus", as he'd taken to calling him.

"Congratulations," Lupin told him as soon as Arcturus had produced the coveted Hogwarts letter, beaming.

"I'm so excited to go," he admitted. "I can't wait to get out of that house."

Lupin smiled. "I'm sure you will enjoy Hogwarts very much. Have your aunt and uncle said anything?"

"No, but they've been surly all day. Squibs and everything," Arcturus shrugged. "Draco will be angry, that's certain. He _hates_ that I'm a year older than him."

"He will get his letter next year. Have you gone to get your things yet?"

"No, we're going this Saturday. Can you meet us there?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea," he replied. "And unfortunately I have a prior engagement."

Arcturus frowned, but nodded his understanding. Sometimes, "Uncle Remus" was busy. That's just how adults were. He had to work, Arcturus didn't.

"We'll meet again before you leave on September 1st, though," he promised. "I'll even bring a cake and we'll celebrate."

That caused Arcturus to smile. "Okay," he agreed.


	4. Chapter 4: A Quiet Train Ride

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 9/29/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 4: A Quiet Train Ride

As Arcturus predicted, Draco was pissed. Arcturus didn't bring the letter, he didn't want Draco stealing it and ripping it up. But he told his cousin and described his trip to Diagon Alley, buying his books, his robes, his cauldron, and the gift his aunt and uncle had bought him, a barn owl he'd jokingly named Striga. Arcturus could see Draco's jealousy growing; he was practically turning green.

"Of course, you'll be in Slytherin."

Arcturus didn't agree right away. He honestly wasn't sure what house he'd be in. Lupin and Sirius had been in Gryffindor and Lenora had been in Ravenclaw. Either would be nice houses. But Arcturus knew that the family expected him to get into Slytherin.

"_Every_ Black is in Slytherin," Draco said.

"Not my dad," Arcturus replied.

"And look where he ended up. Maybe if he was in Slytherin, he wouldn't have gotten caught!"

Arcturus didn't say anything in reply.

Draco wasn't the only one who apparently expected him to be in Slytherin House. Everyone he saw congratulated him on his Hogwarts letter and started on about the Black family's proud tradition of Slytherin. It quickly got to be annoying, actually. Eventually Arcturus just nodded his head and numbly agreed, even if that wasn't really his own opinion. It was easier then suggesting that he might take after his father, and then getting all the odd looks and hearing more murmurs. After two years with his London-based relatives, Arcturus was finally ceasing to draw every eye as he passed and become the topic of every whispered conversation when he passed. He was still looked at sometimes, and let's face it, the murder of thirteen Muggles and the betrayal of the Potters to You-Know-Who wasn't something _anyone_ would truly forget. There were still whispered conversations, but they were less common. Now, Arcturus had gone from "the murderer's son" to "the Black boy", known more for his own eccentricities. After all, he _was_ a troublemaker and thank Merlin he was the Squibs' problem rather than their own. But that just comes down to breeding. Look at his parents.

Come September 1st, Arcturus found himself very tired, but excited. He'd hardly been able to sleep at all the night before and had instead stayed up, looking through his schoolbooks and trying on his new school robes, admiring the image in the mirror. He couldn't wait until they went to King's Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9¾. He couldn't wait until they got to Hogwarts and he saw that first glimpse across the lake, the one that Lupin had told him was like no other sight he'd ever see. Come the first light of day, Arcturus dressed and double-checked that his trunk was thoroughly packed with everything from the now well-worn letter. Then he triple-checked, just to be sure. Striga went in her cage and all of it went thumping down the stairs behind Arcturus, effectively waking the Squibs, if they hadn't been awake already. He ate breakfast and sat, staring at the large, old grandfather clock in the foyer, sitting on his trunk with Striga next to him. The time seemed to move along at a snail's pace, like a wizard had purposefully slowed it. When at last it was time to leave, he leapt to his feet and gathered everything in anticipation. The Squibs were, of course, on time, and without a word, the three of them left the house and flagged down the Knight Bus.

King's Cross Station was crowded with Muggles and Arcturus and his aunt and uncle had found themselves jostled more times than they could've counted. Each time, Aunt Ariadne's face would go red and Uncle Marius's lips would become thinner and thinner. When they finally came to the barrier before Platform 9 ¾, Arcturus had practically been holding his breath to keep from either laughing or saying something to get him in trouble so close to the beginning of term. He was surprised his aunt and uncle had managed to keep their tempers. But, he supposed they would have to, living as they did, more within the Muggle world than most from magical families. That was the nature of a Squib.

The platform beyond was just as busy as Muggle King's Cross, however these were his "own kind". Well, closer at least. Most were half bloods or less and more than a handful were Mudbloods. But he did see some of the families that he'd recognized from the pureblood society. Marius and Ariadne noticed too, and seemed to be gravitating in their direction, but they didn't greet anyone, even if they knew them and didn't move any closer than 10 metres. Arcturus though, didn't care. He found a compartment and hauled his trunk inside, placing it on the rack before returning, not because he wanted to say a proper goodbye, but because Uncle Marius had requested it before.

"I expect only the best from you," Marius said, his voice stern. "You will represent the House of Black as we have taught you. I will not tolerate mischief, is that understood?"

"_Yes_," Arcturus hissed, smirking. His uncle could threaten all he wanted, but in the end he couldn't do anything to Arcturus all the way in Scotland. He couldn't even make a Howler. Uncle Marius saw the smirk but like every other time, chose not to say anything. The truth was Marius only had control of Arcturus when Arcturus allowed him to, which was not often at all. The boy did what he wanted, regardless of whether or not Marius or Ariadne said he could. Confinement only had so much effect, which was almost non-existent on this boy. He was just like his murderer father.

Arcturus did not give Marius or Ariadne a hug, or even a "goodbye". He merely glanced from uncle to aunt and then turned his back on them and climbed on the train. _'_Not that they'd care one way or the other,' Arcturus thought as he found his compartment once more and sat down, preparing himself for a long train ride alone. Not that he'd mind. Arcturus liked trains, Muggle contraptions though they were. He liked to sit and watch the landscape go by and he liked the gentle rocking motion, smoother than any car or bus he'd ever rode on. You also had more room to spread out on a train, which was exactly what he did. Striga went on the seat next to him and he pulled down the book he'd been reading, settling in for the ride.

Unfortunately, a quiet train ride was apparently just not in the cards for Arcturus. No sooner had the train began to roll out of the station did the door burst open and two boys with bright red hair who looked identical spilled in, lugging battered trunks behind them.

"Cheers mate," the first one in said. "I see this seat is empty so I'll just—"He threw his trunk up into the rack with a grunt and then turned and helped the other boy, obviously his brother, with his own trunk. Both sat down across from Arcturus, grinning.

"We're Fred and George Weasley," the first twin said.

"Or Gred and Forge Weasley," the other added.

Arcturus cocked an eyebrow. "Which of you is which?" he asked.

"I'm Fred," the first offered.

"And I'm George," added the second.

"But we'll answer to either—"

"—so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

The two went back and forth and Arcturus found he was already confused and the twins had only been in the compartment five minutes.

"But enough about us," Fred, or was it George, cut in. "Who are you? First year?"

"Yeah," Arcturus replied. "Arcturus Black."

Immediately their faces fell. "Black, you say?"

'And here is where it gets awkward,' Arcturus thought. "Yeah, like the mass murderer."

"No _way_!" George exclaimed. Arcturus definitely wasn't expecting that sort of reaction. "As in _Sirius_ Black? _That_ Black?"

"He's my father."

"Wicked!" both grinned.

"Dad told us about him but Mum didn't want him to," Fred went on. "He killed thirteen Muggles and that guy, P-something."

"That's him."

"Bummer about Azkaban," George commented. "So do you live with your mum?"

"My mum died two years ago. I live with my Squib aunt and uncle." Arcturus picked his book back up, which happened to be the one Remus had gotten him last Christmas. It was dog-eared and worn already, but Arcturus wanted to make sure he knew all the spells before he got to Hogwarts, just in case.

"Whatcha got there?" George asked, turning his head and looking at the title.

"Practical Prankster, eh?" Fred read. "George, my boy, I think we picked the right compartment. That's not a bad book, but the best make their own."

"I know that," Arcturus replied. "But I don't know any spells yet. A friend gave me this, for my aunt and uncle."

"Smart friend. Well, Georgie-boy, what do you think?"

"I think we can take him under our wings," George replied. "It would be nice having another brain to do all the thinking, especially with Charlie graduating and Percy a stuck-up git. Unless, of course, you get sorted into Slytherin..."

"Not on your life," Arcturus replied.

"Good man," Fred approved. "I think we'll get along swimmingly. Hm, 'Arcturus', interesting name."

"It's a _family_ name," Arcturus grumbled. "Guardian of the bears or some sort of nonsense."

"Better than _Bilius_," George snorted. Fred made a face.

Arcturus couldn't help it. He snorted. "Bilius?"

"Yeah, could you believe it? The nerve of some people," George agreed, acting offended. "Luckily, our little brother, Ronniekins, is stuck with that name. It was a close call, though. Only two years."

"Much too close," Fred agreed.

"But enough about us."

"Tell us what it's like living with Squibs!"

"Are they as bitter as everyone says?"

"Our great-grand-uncle, twice removed on mother's side was a Squib."

"Didn't actually meet him, though."

Arcturus found his head turning back and forth between the two like the Muggles did at Wimbledon. It seemed the Weasley twins didn't only share a face, but a brain as well. Or twin telepathy wasn't really a myth. That was the only way Arcturus could explain the speed at which they switched back and forth. At first it was confusing, but Arcturus began to pick up on their rhythm as the train ride continued and soon he was able to follow along decently, though he still sometimes mixed up which twin was which.

"Don't worry about that, Rus," Fred told him, after Arcturus had accidentally called him "George".

"Our own mum does it too."

"And she's known us for twelve whole years."

"Not counting those 9 glorious months before hand."

"Ugh!" Arcturus exclaimed, clamping his hands over his ears.

"Part of nature, Arcturus, old boy!" Fred grinned.

"That doesn't mean you have to bring it up!" Arcturus retorted.

"_Arcturus_, may I call you Archie?"

"No," Arcturus replied.

Fred and George both switched sides, moving Striga and sitting on either side of Arcturus. They slung their arms over his shoulders, getting much too close for Arcturus's comfort. He sat straighter and prepared to move, but Fred and George stopped him.

"If you're going to hang out with us—"

"—don't be so _Sirius_," George finished.

"Great pun," Arcturus replied dryly.

"That's more like it." They shifted back and Fred moved to replace Striga. "Cool owl."

"Thanks," Arcturus replied. "She was a birthday present, the only nice thing my aunt and uncle have really done for me. Everything else was really more because they had to."

"What's her name?"

"Striga."

"Striga?"

"It's Romanian. I lived there with my mom. In mythology, the strigoi were vampires, the immortal kind. They could transform into animals, including barn owls, turn invisible, and drained their victims of all their blood."

"Wicked," both twins said.

There was a loud thump in the corridor and all three looked up to see a girl in mismatched clothes face plant in the middle of the passage.

"Whoa there!" George jumped up and threw open their door. He and Fred helped the girl to her feet. "You alright?"

She brushed back a lock of royal blue hair and dusted herself off quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Do that a lot. Ow," she winced, rubbing her elbow. She looked up finally and grinned. "Cool hair." Her face screwed up in concentration a moment and then her hair changed to match the shade of Fred and George's. "You're Bill and Charlie's little brothers, aren't you?"

"Normally we go by Fred and George," Fred replied.

"Or Gred and Forge," George added. Apparently they were trying to make the nicknames stick.

"I'm Tonks. I'm in Charlie's year, but Hufflepuff."

"Ah, explains everything."

"We thought we knew all the Gryffindors."

"'Hufflepuff'," Fred mused. "Has such promise...Don't you agree, Forge?"

"Absolutely, Gred."

Tonks chuckled. She looked over at Arcturus and then looked surprised. "You are...?"

"Only the guy who's been sitting here the whole time. This is Arcturus Black, though we've been trying out a few nicknames. What do you think of 'Turo'?"

"Or maybe 'Little Black'?"

"How about 'Black Bear'?

"Or just plain 'A'?"

"My name is _Arcturus_," Arcturus corrected, rolling his eyes.

"Black," Tonks finished. "Who is your dad?"

"That's the best part!" Fred added.

"None other than notorious mass murderer—"

"—Sirius Black!"

"My mom was a Black."

"Was," Arcturus repeated.

"Was?"

"As in, she's not anymore. She was disowned."

Tonks nodded. "For marrying my dad. He's Muggle-born."

"You're in good company, then," George replied. "Your mom was disowned; Arcturus's dad was sentenced to life in prison..."

"You have so much in common!" Fred added.

"Not really," Arcturus replied.

"Are you a first year?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"I'm not. My friend told me a lot about Hogwarts."

"Would this be the same friend who gave you that book? The smart one?"

"Yes."

Tonks got up and brushed off her clothes again, seemingly more out of habit then actual need. "Well I must be going. I was on my way to sit with some friends. You might consider changing soon. I will."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Nice hair."

"Try to keep the floor _under_ your feet."

"And don't let gravity get you down."

Tonks laughed again. "Thanks. See you later."


	5. Chapter 5: Family Tradition

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/1/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 5: Family Tradition

Upon arrival, Arcturus, Fred, and George all went their own ways, Fred and George following the main stream of students while Arcturus headed for the large figure booming, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" He rose up over the crowd and probably would have even if they'd all been fully-grown adults. Arcturus moved closer with the other first year students and wondered what could've caused the man's size.

'Either a growth potion out of control, or he's half-giant,' Arcturus concluded. He was inclined more towards the second. It wasn't common, but not unheard of. As Arcturus watched the man move around the group carrying his huge lantern and trailed by a large boarhound, and he wondered which temperament had won out. Giants could be short-tempered and incredibly thick. Whoever this guy was, was he the same? Only one way to find out.

"Are we just going to _stand_ here all night?" Arcturus asked, loudly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Jus' makin' sure everyone's here," the half-giant replied.

"Obviously we are, unless you can't count that high." Arcturus might have felt bad about what he was saying, except the half-giant took that time to turn around and look right at Arcturus.

"Shoulda known it'd be you," he said. "No need ta be rude. We're goin'. Firs' years, this way!" And he turned and began leading them down a trail, away from the platform at Hogsmeade, the magical village near Hogwarts.

'Should've known it'd be me? What's that supposed to mean?' Arcturus wondered. He didn't even know who this guy was, unless it was another thing like with Lupin. Did the half-giant know his father, or maybe his mother? Had he known _him_ as a baby?

They followed the half-giant down the path through the dark. It'd taken all day to reach Hogwarts and the anticipation was almost palpable.

"Jus' up ahead ye'll catch yer firs' look at Hogwarts!" the half-giant called. They rounded a bend and came to a large, dark lake, the Black Lake, from what Lupin had told Arcturus. They'd have to cross it, as a sort of tradition for first years. Sure enough, down at the shore was a fleet of small boats, each sporting their own lantern and waiting for the first years to board. But those weren't what caught all the attention.

Rising up in the night was the castle itself. Lupin had told Arcturus that it was the most breath-taking sight he'd ever seen, and Arcturus could easily see why. The castle stood impressive before them, surreal even for the Magical world. Hundreds, if not thousands of lights shown throughout the castle, making it look like a cluster of stars against the dark background. The towers each rose over everything, piercing the night sky. It was ancient, majestic, and ethereal; Arcturus couldn't wait to arrive.

The first years stumbled down the slope to the boats. It might've been easier to walk properly, had they not all been transfixed by Hogwarts castle. They climbed in and with a command, began making their way across the lake. The sky was slightly cloudy but the waxing gibbous gave enough light that between it and the lanterns, Arcturus could see everything around him well enough. The surface of the Black Lake rippled off the bow of their little row boats, inky, concealing whatever may be lurking just beneath the surface. Apparently there was a Giant Squid.

They passed under a row of vines and into a dock under the castle itself. As the boats bumped against the stone, the first years and half-giant climbed out and gathered on the dock. He led them up a set of stairs and into a large hall and then a side room of the main doors.

"Wait 'ere," the half-giant told them. "Professor McGonagall'll be 'ere soon."

The new first year students milled around in the side room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Professor McGonagall and the official beginning of their Hogwarts careers. Arcturus couldn't help but feel a bit of that nervousness as well, even though Lupin had regaled him with plenty of stories of Hogwarts. Still, what would it be like? Where would he be placed? Who would he meet along the way? Thus far, Arcturus had been relatively cut off from other children of his age. He had Malfoy and his goonies, but that was only at formal events, and even then, Arcturus didn't really count them as friends. Malfoy was more of a "sparring partner".

Eventually the door opened and a stern witch with her hair tightly pulled back in a knot at the base of her neck and her hat perched on her head severely, entered. Professor McGonagall looked over the first years with a sharp eye, scrutinizing their appearance before begrudgingly giving a small nod of approval.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few moments, we will go into the Great Hall and you will be Sorted into one of the four Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here, your House will be your family. Successes will earn points for your House, while rule breaking will cost points. At the end of the year, the House that has succeeded in gaining the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a coveted honour.

"Now, please assemble in a straight line and we will enter the Great Hall."

The first years all shuffled into place and Arcturus found himself towards the middle of the group, next to a taller boy with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Arcturus immediately didn't like him. When the first years were adequately assembled, McGonagall led the way out of the side room, across the entrance, through the two large doors into the Great Hall.

Hogwarts seemed just as magnificent as Lupin had described it. The Great Hall was packed full of students, and every one of them watched the new first years as they filed down the row between the two centre tables. Most of Arcturus's peers looked frightened. But Arcturus was too busy drinking all of it in. He'd dreamed of being here since the first time Lupin had described the Great Hall with its four House tables, the floating candles, and the infamous bewitched ceiling that showed the sky. It was straight out of his imaginings; only ten times better because it _wasn't _an imagining. He was really, truly _there_.

The first years crowded up around the front of the hall where Professor McGonagall had placed a much worn stool and an even older hat. They flocked closer, those in the back attempting to get a better look at what those in the front were staring at. The entire hall fell silent as a line of stitching sprung open and the hat began to sing. Arcturus listened, along with the rest of the school, as it sang about the four Houses of Hogwarts and each of their respective founders. Lupin had explained the Houses and the traits that each valued in their members. Gryffindors were brave, Slytherins cunning and ambitious. Ravenclaws were clever and valued knowledge while Hufflepuffs were hard working and loyal. Arcturus knew, though, that he was expected to get into Slytherin. Every Black got into Slytherin, well except his father. And look where he ended up!

But Arcturus wasn't all that interested in what was expected of him. Many people expected things of him, and they were mostly disappointed. Marius and Ariadne had expected him to be an obedient child and polite, but Arcturus went out of his way to deliberately disobey. He was "just like that murderer father of his".

When the hat finished, the whole hall burst into applause although Arcturus had heard better before. It seems a singing hat impresses, though. McGonagall stepped forward and began calling names.

"Anderson, Avery."

A short, very frightened boy stepped up, the first alphabetically and the first of the new class to be Sorted. He sat on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. It didn't take long at all for the seam to open again and the Sorting Hat to declare, "Ravenclaw!"

Anderson, Avery took off the hat and hurried to join his new House amidst general, good-natured applause.

"Black, Arcturus."

Arcturus had assumed he'd be soon and was ready to step up when McGonagall called his name. He sauntered up, mustering up all the nonchalance he could, but inside he couldn't help but be a little nervous. What if he _was_ put in Slytherin? True, that was technically where he was supposed to go, but he didn't like the thought of dark, dank dungeons or living up to his extended family's expectations. But if he didn't go to Slytherin, where would he be placed?

Suddenly, Arcturus wasn't feeling so self-assured, but he was already seated on the stool and McGonagall was placing the Sorting Hat on his head. It was too late to go back now.

"Ah, a _Black_," murmured the hat in his ear. "But you do not wish for Slytherin? Hm, well with your background, I suppose it should be...Gryffindor!"

The red table cheered loudest as Arcturus took off the hat and climbed from the stool. He felt extraordinarily relieved. Gryffindor was a good house. Remus had been from there, as had his father, but Arcturus chose to ignore that detail. Every House had a rotten egg. He spotted Fred and George Weasley where they moved aside, creating a gap between the two of them where he could sit. Before Arcturus could really think about the possible consequences of such a seat, he took the spot on the bench, immediately being enveloped into the Gryffindor fold.

"Welcome!" Fred greeted.

"Knew we chose wisely," George added.

Sitting with the Weasley twins were two more boys with the same bright red hair. One was only a couple of years older than Fred and George, but the other was obviously a seventh year and wore a Gryffindor Quidditch Captain's badge and a prefect's badge. The younger of the two turned to face Arcturus, head up, shoulders stiff.

"I do not believe we have been introduced. I am Percy Weasley. Welcome to Gryffindor House." He held out his hand and Arcturus shook it, the whole exchange very stiff and formal, not at all what he'd expected from Fred and George's brother, even an _older_ brother.

"Aw, lighten up, Perce," the yet older boy said. He grinned at Arcturus good-naturedly. "I'm Charlie, Fred, George, and Percy's brother."

"Nice to meet you," Arcturus replied, feeling immediately more at ease and relieved that the _entire_ Weasley family didn't act like they had a wand up their butts bigger than Uncle Marius's.

"Don't worry about Percy," Charlie murmured to him as the other turned back to watch the Sorting. "He'll lighten up. I think Fred and George are working on him. By the way, welcome to the Lion's Den."

After a big feast, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stood up to make what Arcturus assumed was his standard, start-of-year speech. Lupin had had nothing but good to say about Dumbledore, to the point that Arcturus was fairly certain Lupin thought Dumbledore crapped roses and daffodils. Granted, a speech that had been given, no doubt, a hundred times before was hardly the best medium to judge the Headmaster for himself. Still, Arcturus hadn't really seen or heard anything that would immediately make him hate Dumbledore. But the school term was still young and Arcturus was still a wide-eyed innocent little first year in the eyes of the Hogwarts staff. He'd reserve judgement for later, when he'd find out just how great this Dumbledore was.

Already Arcturus knew he was going to clash with the Gryffindor Head of House, none other than Professor McGonagall herself. She struck him as the no nonsense, "strict but fair" sort of professor, which didn't really go well with Arcturus's general troublemaker attitude. What he really needed was easy-going and biased to all things Gryffindor, otherwise he had a strong feeling that big shiny hourglass that tallied the House points would remain almost as empty as it was now. Still, Fred and George assured him that McGonagall was okay.

"She's a sweet lady at heart," Fred joked.

"We're two of her favourites," George added, to Charlie's snort of cynicism.

"Charlie, bro, you wound us," Fred acted hurt.

"Just wait for the hysterics until we've made it through the first couple of weeks. Gryffindor needs to build up a point base before you try to send us into the negatives," Charlie replied.

Fred and George shrugged. "Fair enough."

After the feast, Charlie and another girl prefect led Arcturus and his fellow first years up to the dormitory, all the way at the top of Gryffindor Tower. It was quite the climb and Arcturus groaned as he resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to make it probably hundreds of times in the next seven years.

"Hey there, mate," a boy Arcturus recognized as the conceited git from before the Sorting said to him as they were climbing the moving staircases. "Cormac McLaggen."

"Arcturus Black," he half-growled through compressed lungs. He'd really need to get in better shape if he was going to do this multiple times a day.

"Yes, I remember," McLaggen replied. "Although I was surprised to see you in Gryffindor. The McLaggen family has a history in this House, of course, but I've always heard the Blacks prefer Slytherin House."

Arcturus shrugged. "Felt like a change in scenery, I guess." The McLaggen berk was getting on his nerves already and they hadn't even made it to the dormitory yet.

"What do your parents have to say about that? I imagine they wouldn't be too thrilled."

"Wouldn't know, they're dead," Arcturus growled. Well, it was basically true. It wasn't like his father was ever getting out of that hell hole, and Arcturus didn't want to see him even if he did.

At least McLaggen had enough tact to look mildly apologetic after that, but he still acted like an ass. A stuck-up ass who didn't know when to shut his pie hole. Arcturus didn't look forward to having to room with him for the next seven years. _Please let my bed be on the opposite side of the room._

Charlie led the boys up to their dormitory while the girl took the first year girls. They climbed up a few more sets of stairs until coming to the door marked "1".

"This is the first year boys' dormitory," Charlie said. "Your trunks should already be up. Sleep tight." He turn descended back to the warm common room, leaving the group to stare at the closed door, waiting for someone to make the first move. Arcturus rolled his eyes and pushed forward, turning the handle and opening the door to a small, circular dormitory with beds around the circumference and a heater at the centre. Each bed had a trunk at the foot of it. Now that the door was open and someone else had taken the first step inside, the other boys in Arcturus's year pushed past, searching for their trunk and bed. Arcturus found his, second from the door. He almost groaned too when the McLaggen bloke took the bed nearest the door, opening the trunk at the foot.

"Well it looks like the elves didn't jostle my trunk too badly," he commented, sorting through his school robes and the various other knickknacks in the large trunk with his initials in gold leafing and a roaring lion on the side. Arcturus rolled his eyes and went to his own trunk to find things fairly intact as well. He glanced around the dormitory at the six other boys he shared the room with. Hopefully at least one of them wasn't as big a git as McLaggen, otherwise this would be a long seven years spent _outside_ the dormitory. There was a boy with darker skin on the other side of his bed that didn't look too bad. At least he wasn't haughtily going on about the lack of "good help" nowadays. Arcturus stood up and made his way over to him, mustering up a bit of a smile.

"Hi. I'm Arcturus Black," he greeted. The other boy looked up, obviously sizing him up. But apparently he was okay with what he found because he smiled back.

"Lee Jordan," he replied, taking Arcturus's proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Arcturus replied.

"Like Fizzing Whizzbees?" Lee Jordan asked, holding up a big box from his trunk. "My mum gave me a whole pack." Lee opened and held out the sweet to Arcturus.

"Sure," Arcturus replied, though he really hadn't eaten many sweets since coming to live with his aunt and uncle. But, as he was munching on the sweet and it was crackling on his tongue, Arcturus decided he just might like Lee Jordan and might actually be able to get along with him. At the very least, sharing a box of Fizzing Whizzbees was a good start. Maybe the next seven years in Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad after all.


	6. Chapter 6: The Lion's Den

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/3/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: If there's anything worse than losing your mother to dragon pox and then coming to live in a whole different country, with relatives you've never even met before, it's coming to live with relatives who already hate you, for something you didn't even do. That was how Arcturus Sirius Black, secret son of Sirius Orion Black and Lenora Cassandra Malfoy, understood family politics.

Chapter 6: The Lion's Den

During the day at Marius and Ariadne's house, Arcturus had been bored most of the time. This wasn't the case at Hogwarts. Not in the slightest. Every day at Hogwarts was full of classes in charms, transfiguration, potions, herbology, astronomy, every subject Arcturus could hope for. He learned how to turn a match into a needle and back again. He learned how to make things float through the air and how to unlock doors, a particularly useful skill in Arcturus's opinion. But the best part of all, Arcturus made friends. Real friends, not fake ones like Malfoy and his lot claimed to be. Fred and George quickly took on the roles of guide and mentor, although most of the time Arcturus ended up in the complete opposite end of the castle from where he wanted to go or in McGonagall's classroom, serving detention for something the twins cooked up. But Arcturus didn't really mind it because along with Fred and George, Arcturus had Lee. Lee Jordan was quickly taken in with the Weasley twins as well and soon became Arcturus's partner in crime. They did everything together. In fact, Lee was serving detention cleaning out cauldrons by hand alongside Arcturus for purposefully tossing extra horned slugs in Hestia Carrow's Boil-Cure Potion. But in their defence, she shouldn't have left it unattended. Someone could've thrown just _anything_ in there. She was lucky all that happened was a nice change in colour and a few hissing sparks.

Professor Snape, the Potions Master, sat at his desk but still managing to breathe down Arcturus's neck as he cleaned the cauldrons. It hadn't taken Arcturus long to figure out that Snape hated him, beyond the normal Gryffindor hatred that the Head of Slytherin House harboured for all those in the rival house. Arcturus was fairly certain that even if he'd been Sorted into Slytherin and had become one of Snape's snakes, the greasy git would still hate him. With a vindictive streak Arcturus had only seen in a few.

"Jordan, you may go," Snape told Lee. Lee shot Arcturus an apologizing glance but didn't hesitate to leave. Arcturus didn't blame him. They'd been cleaning cauldrons for hours, and most of the potions ingredients were pretty nasty.

"What are you waiting for,_ Black_," Snape sneered at Arcturus. "Keep scrubbing."

Arcturus waited until Snape had turned around before sticking his tongue out at the grouchy professor's back.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape declared.

"For what?" Arcturus demanded without thinking.

"For disrespecting a professor and another ten points for the tone. Keep scrubbing."

Arcturus wanted to show Snape just _how much_ he disrespected the Potions professor, but didn't. Snape would just give him yet another detention, and Arcturus didn't really want to miss the upcoming Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match. It'd been the talk of the house after Charlie Weasley's tryouts where he'd picked up three second-years, Angelina Johnson as a chaser and his own brothers Fred and George as beaters. Arcturus was just looking forward to watching Fred and George's antics on broomsticks in front of the entire school. It was sure to be a good show and Arcturus wouldn't put it by Snape to assign him detention right during the middle of the game. It was just the sort of git Snape was.

As Arcturus scrubbed, he imagined all the things he could do to get back at Snape. The professor only ever wore black. Perhaps he'd enjoy a change in colour, perhaps something that could really bring out the bottomless darkness of his eyes. Arcturus thought he knew just the spell, but he'd have to talk it over with Fred and George for the flourish, and maybe he'd get away with it. After all, hexing a professor was dangerous business. Detention at least, but if Snape was feeling particularly vindictive, and with Arcturus he usually was, Snape might even be able to have Arcturus expelled. No way was Arcturus going to spend all his time with the Squibs, and Durmstrang was a bit too cold and dingy for Arcturus's taste. He would rather have to spend the majority of the year in the arctic tundra.

Somehow, Arcturus managed to get through the rest of the detention with Snape without doing anything to merit another. Snape tried, but all he could do was take another thirty points from Gryffindor for Arcturus's apparently shoddy cleaning job before dismissing him with directions to return straight to Gryffindor Tower and a threat of more detentions if he found out that Arcturus had made any side stops.

"Yes, Professor," Arcturus replied.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor for the tone," Snape sneered. "Leave."

Arcturus didn't bother opening his mouth, he just left. Snape would take points from him for breathing through his mouth rather than his nose.

"Stupid wanker," Arcturus grumbled as he climbed the steps from the dungeons, all the way up to Gryffindor Tower and came to the portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the Gryffindor common room.

"Bumbershoot," Arcturus told the painting.

"I daresay you'll need one for the match tomorrow," the Fat Lady replied, glancing out the window at the large storm clouds rolling in. She swung open and Arcturus stepped inside.

"Archie! What are you still doing out of bed at this hour, you little rascal!" Fred called from one of the tables at the side of the room. Arcturus joined him, George, and Lee at the table.

"Sorry about that, mate," Lee apologized.

"Don't worry. You know how the git is," Arcturus reassured his friend.

"Sure has it in for you, doesn't he, Surutcra?" commented George.

Arcturus raised an eyebrow, fighting back a grin. "Surutcra?"

Fred shrugged for George. "We're still experimenting with the nicknames," he replied. "Though I think your name backwards might be longer than your name forwards."

"Of course it's not, idiot," George retorted. "It's the same amount of letters."

"I told you, it's just Arcturus," Arcturus cut in, before the twins could start in on another "argument".

"Alright, alright. So what are you going to do to get back at the dungeon bat, Blacky-boy?"

Arcturus shrugged, choosing to ignore the stupid name. "I don't know. I was thinking that maybe Professor Snape could use some colour in his life. He always looks so washed out in all black."

Fred and George nodded, "Couldn't agree more."

"But how are you going to do it? You can't hex a teacher. You'll be expelled," Lee said.

"Yeah, not to mention Snape's too smart to fall for anything with a potion," Arcturus added. "I doubt he even uses shampoo anyways." Arcturus looked to the twins. "I was actually hoping you guys would have an idea of how to pull it off."

"Hm," Fred stroked a non-existent beard. "Tricky, tricky. I'm assuming you'd want this to be a public retaliation."

"Of course. The more people who can see Snape with pink hair, the better."

"I think there is much, much more potential in this little scheme," George said. "After all, why just stop with his hair?"

Arcturus grinned. "Of course not. I was actually thinking that maybe Professor Snape could display his Gryffindor colours at breakfast tomorrow, before the match? It doesn't give us much time but..."

"It would make quite a show, not to mention boost house morale. An _excellent_ idea, Twinkle."

Arcturus was brought up short at the most recent attempt. "'_Twinkle'_? Really?"

"Yeah, as in 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'. Keep up, boy!"

"You're ridiculous."

"Why thank you!"

They spent the next hour planning the mode of attack before moving on to the homework that none of them had even started. Arcturus attempted to write the Potions essay, but all he could think about was what they had planned for their dear Professor Snape the next morning. He'd _hate_ it, but unless he caught them right in the middle of it, there was no way Snape would be able to prove that Arcturus, Fred, George, and Lee had been behind it. There was some work to do.


	7. Chapter 7: Like Dear, Old Dad

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/7/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: Yoohoo! Anybody out there? I'd like to hear some thoughts on this story, if anyone is willing to leave a comment behind. Do you like Arcturus? Don't like him? Is he too much like another character? Does he not fit into the story? Is a canon character OC? If you are willing to let me know, that would be amazing. Thanks!

Chapter 7: Like Dear, Old Dad

Between his detentions with Snape and being Sorted into Gryffindor House, Arcturus knew it was only a matter of days until an owl dropped a letter in his morning eggs. Sure enough, it came as Fred, George, Arcturus, and Lee had their heads together and were discussing their plans for that evening. Tomorrow morning was the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match, and also the day they would implement their scheme.

The only good thing about living with Squibs is that they couldn't send a Howler if they wanted to. But Fred and George seemed to know what the letter was before Arcturus even opened it.

"Tough luck, Archie ole' boy," Fred told him as he and George leaned back, like the letter in Arcturus's hands would explode at any second.

"You don't even know what it is," Arcturus retorted. "Maybe it's money."

"Oh, we've received enough of _those_ letters in our time," George assured him, sagely. He and Fred were just a year older than Arcturus, but at times they acted as if they had been at Hogwarts for decades. "Funny it's not a Howler, though."

"Perks of living with Squibs," Arcturus grumbled. He used his knife to cut the Black Family seal open, ensuring he got sausage grease all over it before taking of the neatly folded parchment full of his Uncle's flowing and precise handwriting.

"_Arcturus,_

_Since your mother died and you came to live with your aunt and I, we have done our best to ensure you became a fine, Pureblood young man in which our family could take pride in. I am, therefore, very disappointed to hear that you have not only been Sorted into Gryffindor house, the same house which so failed your convicted father, but that you have also earned numerous detentions. This is unacceptable behaviour for an heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Furthermore, you have taken up companionship with the middle sons of the Weasley family, troublemakers in their own right. As you may not be aware, having not been part of the High Society of Wizarding Britain for long, the Weasley family is known for its poverty. Any wealth they had was gambled away long ago. They are also blood traitors, siding against Purebloods, their own kind, and supporting the mingling of Wizarding blood with Muggles and Muggle-borns. These are not the sort of people you want to be affiliated with. I urge you to _strongly_ rethink your choices. Your time at Hogwarts will affect your future beyond school. Now is the time to cultivate relationships that will be beneficial, not only to yourself, but to the family at large. Make the proper choices; do _not_ follow in your father's footsteps. They are a one-way path to Azkaban and ruin._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Uncle Marius."_

As he read the letter, Arcturus felt the burning grow in his stomach and he glared at the parchment until he didn't even see the words. The last parting jab repeated itself in his head, mocking him. "_Do not follow in your father's footsteps."_ Ever since Arcturus had found out who his father was, he'd made a point to ensure he wasn't like him. Uncle Marius knew this, and he used it masterfully. If Marius had ever attended Hogwarts, he would have been a true Slytherin, through and through.

Arcturus crumbled the parchment up and threw it on the plate. With one harsh stab of his wand it burst into flame, drawing the attention of half the hall.

"Whoa!" the Weasleys exclaimed and somebody had the presence of mind to throw water on the fire, leaving a puddle of swampy ashes on his plate.

"Mr. Black! The breakfast table is _not _the place to practice dangerous spells!" Professor McGonagall scolded.

"Sorry, Professor," Arcturus murmured, looking appropriately contrite. "It was an accident. I was just trying to levitate my spoon."

McGonagall was not convinced. "Hm, well less 'flick' and more 'swish' next time, Mr. Black."

"Thank you, Professor." As McGonagall retreated, Fred, George, and Lee leaned in again.

"That bad?" Fred asked.

Arcturus's eyes burned, but it wasn't from McGonagall's scolding, or even hurt at his uncle's letter. He was angry. Marius thought he was making the wrong choices by befriending the Weasleys and having a little bit of fun, but he hadn't seen anything yet.

"We need something big," Arcturus said suddenly. "Something everyone will notice. It can't just be for Snape anymore."

Fred and George smirked with mischievous gleams in their eyes. But Lee seemed hesitant.

"We already have detention for a month," Lee complained.

Arcturus waved his hand dismissively. "We've done _kid_ things. My _uncle_ thinks I'm creating the wrong image. He's an ass and I want to show him and everybody else exactly what 'image' I want."

"Is this about _you_ or us?" Lee demanded.

"Us. Now our chance to establish ourselves."

Fred turned to George and slung an arm over his shoulder with a heavy sigh. "Georgie-boy, we've created a monster."

The twins grinned at each other. "We're in," they said.

Lee still looked hesitant, but Arcturus and the twins looked at him expectantly and he groaned. "I'm never going to get out of detention, am I?"

"Free time is for goodies like _Percy_," George scoffed, nodding towards his older brother who was sitting and diligently studying even though there was a pretty girl right next to him, obviously trying to strike up a conversation. Just the image was enough of a deterrent.

Arcturus grinned. "C'mon, Lee, it'll be fun."

"_C'mon, Lee, it'll be fun_," Lee muttered as he slogged down yet another staircase behind Arcturus, Fred, and George. Each had a sack of supplies over his shoulder that swayed and bounced strangely as he walked.

"This _is_ fun," Arcturus hissed back. "And it will be even better tomorrow morning." He led the way down the last flight of stairs and, checking to see that the way was clear, slipped across the entrance hall to the large wooden doors that closed off the Great Hall.

"This weighs a ton!" Lee complained, shucking his sack from his shoulder.

"Didn't you use a feather-light charm?"

Lee blinked and Arcturus fought to look innocent but he couldn't help a smirk.

"You're cleaning all my cauldrons in detention," Lee retorted. "Are we doing this or not?"

Arcturus and Fred pushed open one of the doors of the Great Hall and held it as George and Lee slipped inside with the supplies. They closed it carefully behind them so that there was only a very gentle _thump_. The castle was asleep, but there might still be some professors out patrolling the corridors. Arcturus wouldn't put it by Snape to be out this late. The Great Hall stretched out before them; the four House tables were completely empty of even plates and utensils. Overhead the enchanted ceiling twinkled softly with stars and moonlight, providing light for them to work. It was like Hogwarts wanted them to succeed. As Arcturus looked out over this peaceful, blank canvas he could picture his masterpiece like a famous artist.

"Let's get to work, boys."

It was nearly time to get up for classes again by the time Arcturus and the others slipped back into Gryffindor tower, much to the Fat Lady's disapproval. Lee, Fred, and George headed for the stairs to the boys' dormitories right away, but Arcturus lingered behind.

"Aren't you coming?" George asked.

"I'm not tired," Arcturus replied. "I'll see you in a little bit."

George shrugged and warned him not to have any wild parties without them before climbing the stairs after his brother. The common room was dim; the fire had been banked long ago. In the corner a third year boy had fallen asleep on his Ancient Runes book and it seemed his friends had left him there rather than bringing him up to bed. The boy was drooling on his essay, smudging the words. Arcturus, for his part, was near to bursting with energy. Sneaking around the castle at night got his blood pumping as any moment they could run into a ghost, a professor, or Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris. Sometimes even the portraits would try to rat on them, but Fred and George knew how to handle them. A blind-fold on those particularly prone to finking was enough in most cases. That night they'd gotten in and out without being seen, with only one close call on the fourth floor by Mrs. Norris. As Arcturus paced around the common room, trying to burn off his energy, he remembered that he hadn't spoken to Remus in a while. They had gotten together once more in the park before Arcturus had left for school and Arcturus promised he would write and Remus promised the same. Arcturus hadn't sent Striga even once yet. But he would fix that.

With the hands of a pickpocket, Arcturus slipped a piece of parchment out from under the boys nose and swiped the quill and pot of ink before settling down at a table in front of the low fire. He carefully dipped the quill in ink as he tried to think of what to say.

"_Dear Remus,_

_Hogwarts is everything you said it would be. I was Sorted into Gryffindor House, just like you were. I've also made friends with Lee Jordan who is in my year, and Fred and George Weasley who are second years. You would like the Weasleys. They have a great sense of humour. I've already been in detention a few times. Snape, our Potions Professor, is a prick. He is Head of Slytherin House and hates Gryffindors, but I think he especially hates me. It doesn't matter. We've got something _big_ planned. My uncle thinks I'm not making the right choices and that I'll end up like my father. He's wrong. I'm not like my father and I won't ever be. I'm not a murderer."_

Arcturus paused, frowning at the drying ink on the parchment. He hadn't meant to say all that. Quickly he crumbled the letter up and tossed it into the fire. He swiped another piece of parchment and this time scribbled just a brief note.

_"Dear Remus,_

_I was Sorted into Gryffindor House. Hogwarts is great. I can't write too much but I've got something big planned. Tell you more later._

_Yours,_

_Arcturus."_

The sun was beginning to rise as he folded the letter and addressed it.

"I'm sorry sir, I—"the third year, who suddenly startled awake, blinked owlishly and looked around in confusion. He muttered unintelligibly before he spotted Arcturus with quill in hand and realized his was missing.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Just borrowing it, mate," Arcturus replied, before tossing the quill and pot back on the table and disappearing out the Gryffindor portrait hole, leaving the confused third year behind. Now that the sun was out, the castle was stirring awake. Arcturus purposefully skirted around the Great Hall on his way down to the Owlery. A few students were up as well and were making their way to breakfast, excitedly chattering about the game that day. As Arcturus climbed up to the Owlery, he tried to avoid stepping in owl poop but in the end had to _Scourgify _his shoes. Still, Striga was fast becoming a small brown dot in the distance as she carried Remus' letter away. By the time Arcturus showered and went down to breakfast, dressed in Gryffindor colours like his house-mates, the school was alive and abuzz. Fred and George, wearing their Gryffindor team robes and carrying their brooms, intercepted him in the entrance hall.

"Snape just went inside," George said quietly.

"We'll give it a few moments, and then I'll give the trigger," Arcturus whispered back. "Wood would skin us alive if he lost his two Beaters just an hour before the first game."

Fred and George agreed. The three of them entered the hall and Fred and George went to sit with the rest of the team while Arcturus sat with Lee who was looking decidedly pale as he went through the motions of eating breakfast without actually swallowing a bite.

"Are you sure about this?"

Arcturus nodded confidently. "This will be one for the record books." He made eye contact with Fred and George down the way, and winked before muttering under his breath.

"Go, go Gryffindor."

Suddenly the enchanted ceiling, which had been displaying a fair, sunny day, seemed to coalesce into thousands of bludger-size orbs in red and gold. They swarmed around the ceiling forming words. "Time to Show Your School PRIDE." Then a lion burst through the words, scattering the orbs in all directions. Gryffindors cheered as the orbs raced through the hall, more than a few of them swarming around Professor Snape who tried to vanish them, and as the magic lion gave a great roar, every orb in the hall burst, spraying anyone nearby in red and gold paint.

The result was mayhem and Arcturus sat in the middle of it all, splattered in gold paint and laughing great, barking laughs. Across from him, Lee blinked through a face of red paint, and as he saw Arcturus, he smiled and laughed too.


	8. Chapter 8: Revenge and Relatives

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/7/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: Dear Readers, please pay attention to characterization in this chapter. I think I'm pushing the boundaries of OC in this one. Let me know what you think! Cheers, Katerinaki

Chapter 8: Revenge and Relatives

Despite the best efforts of the professors, Arcturus and his cohorts went unpunished for their game-day prank. Still, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall always looked to them as if they knew, they just didn't have the evidence to punish them. That was fine with Arcturus, except now Snape had it doubly out for him. Just him, not the Weasleys or Lee. By the time Halloween came around he'd cleaned every cauldron Snape had at least five times and he'd done more detentions with Filch than anyone else in the school. He and Filch were actually getting along well, if "well" meant Filch knew him by name and gave him a twisted sort of smile and grimace every time he walked into the office. All the dirtiest tasks Filch saved for Arcturus and of course he wasn't allowed to do magic.

"You could become a fine janitor some day, Archie ole' boy," George joked with him as Arcturus knelt in the boys' bathroom scrubbing with a little hand brush. Fred and George had taken to hanging around while Arcturus did his tasks and in some cases, if they were feeling particularly generous, they would help.

"Stupid Snape," Arcturus muttered as he scrubbed. He imagined the brush had steel bristles and that he was scrubbing Snape's face raw as he worked the tiles.

"Here, here!" Fred agreed. "Gryffindor has lost more points this week than all the other houses combined."

"It's because I had double Potions. Greasy git takes points off for 'improper stir-rod technique'." Arcturus adopted the cold, drawl of the Potions Master and Fred and George laughed.

"That was pretty good," Fred snorted. "Sounded just like him."

"_Indeed_."

All three boys leapt to their feet as the Potions Master himself stood in the doorway, clearly not amused.

"I believe this detention is Mr. Black's," Snape hissed. "Unless you would like to join him, I suggest you return to your dormitory."

Fred and George were quick to go and Arcturus didn't blame them. There was another Gryffindor game coming up and he wouldn't put it by Snape to ban Fred and George from playing. The match, after all, was against Slytherin. As Arcturus looked up from his spot kneeling on the tiles, he could clearly see that Snape had heard every word. The professor was livid as he watched the Weasley twins leave before turning back to look at Arcturus. He smirked, seeming to take vicious pleasure in the fact that Arcturus was cleaning the bathroom like a common Muggle. Arcturus, for his part, went back to scrubbing, trying to ignore his most hated professor.

"You've missed a spot. Just like your father, too proud to do proper work."

Arcturus struggled to stay silent, even going so far as to bite his lip, but it was no use. Snape knew precisely which buttons of his to press.

"You don't know anything," Arcturus growled.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape declared. "Would you care to _elaborate_, Mr. Black? I believe Gryffindor still has a few more points."

But Arcturus put his brush to the floor and focused on scrubbing until his arm burned and his knuckles were raw. Snape watched and waited and just when Arcturus seemed to have control over his emotions, he struck.

"It really is fortunate your mother is no longer alive to see how low you have brought the Black family name."

Arcturus threw the brush and it clattered across the floor, skidding under one of the stalls. He leapt to his feet, his blood boiling and his hands clenched into fists, ready to pummel Snape into the ground.

"Shut up! You don't bloody know anything! My mother _hated_ her family and you don't get to talk about her, you slimy git!"

Snape smirked as Arcturus raged. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and weekend detentions through Christmas. Looks like you will be missing the next few Quidditch games, Mr. Black." With the damage done, Snape swept from the bathroom leaving Arcturus fuming. He waited just until he was alone before lashing out and punching the wall. There as a sharp crack and shooting pain up his wrist.

"ARGH!" he screamed, both in pain and in rage as he cradled his broken hand. He hated Snape, but perhaps more he hated the rage that Snape was able to inspire in him, just with words. He sank to the floor and sat there on the cold tile for far too long. By the time he got up and began to make his way to the Hospital Wing it was long after his detention was over and he should've been in bed. However Arcturus was well-practiced by now at traversing the castle after hours and even injured and in pain had enough mind not to be caught. Although this might be one time where a teacher might let him continue on.

The Hospital wing was dark, but Arcturus knocked on the door and just a few minutes later Madam Pomfrey, the schools medi-witch, came bustling from her office. She took one look at Arcturus's hand and ordered him to a bed.

"Dare I ask what happened at this hour of the night?"

"I punched a wall," Arcturus mumbled. He was always truthful with Madam Pomfrey for some odd reason. The first time he'd been to the Hospital wing had been after he'd gotten into a fight with a first year Slytherin over his father. The Slytherin had come out worse for it, but Arcturus had his fair share of cuts and bruises. Madam Pomfrey had briskly mended him up and warned him against fighting, but she didn't take any points or tell him he'd been in the wrong. She just fixed his injuries, as she did now. There was brief pain as the broken bones in his hand and wrist shifted back into place and then it felt hot before going cold like it had been set in a bucket of ice. The coldness felt relieving on his hand and Arcturus sighed, sinking back onto the Hospital bed.

"_Ferula_," Madam Pomfrey said and a splint wrapped itself around Arcturus's hand and wrist, immobilizing it. "It's late and you shouldn't be roaming the corridors alone. You'll stay here the night and return in the morning." She conjured a pair of plain, hospital pyjamas and pulled the curtain to give Arcturus privacy as he changed. The splint was awkward as he tried to do up the buttons, but it was surely only for the night to let the hand rest. Madam Pomfrey was an excellent healer; Arcturus would be as good as new by the next morning.

As he lay back in his bed and stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling, his mind raced. Snape had struck, now it was Arcturus's turn. He had to think of _something_. Arcturus was jerked out of his thoughts by a great crash. He bolted up and wrenched the curtains back. There, across the room a girl had tripped over a cart on her way from the loo. She was sprawled out on the floor, clutching her foot. Arcturus leapt up and hurried over to help her, avoiding the broken glass.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Didn't see that there." It was Tonks, the clumsy Hufflepuff from the train. She looked up and recognized him too. "You're Arcturus, right?"

"Yeah. Here, let me help."

It was a comedy of errors as Arcturus tried to help the clumsy Tonks to her feet with just one hand, all the while trying to avoid the mess on the floor. It was amazing Madam Pomfrey didn't hear all the racket and come out to scold the two of them.

"Why are you in the Hospital?" Arcturus asked when Tonks was at last standing. She rested her weight gingerly on her injured foot but otherwise seemed fine.

"Potions accident," Tonks replied. She didn't seem to want to elaborate. Instead she took out her wand and performed a quick _Reparo_. The shattered vials pieced themselves back together, but there was no hope for the potions on the floor. Those she vanished, murmuring about apologizing to Madam Pomfrey in the morning. Arcturus assisted her back into bed to which Tonks gave him a quick "Thanks".

"That was pretty wicked, what you all did for the Quidditch match."

Arcturus froze. Nobody had said anything to him about his prank before. For all anyone knew, it was done by a group of seventh year Gryffindors. Those are the only ones who could have possibly performed such advanced charms and illusions. Nobody pointed any fingers at the two second years and their first year counterparts.

"It was pretty cool. I wish I knew what they'd done."

Tonks snorted. "You don't have to worry. I'm not a prefect. You won't get in trouble."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arcturus smirked.

"Alright, play coy." Tonks lounged back on her bed, lacing her hands behind her head. "I guess I won't tell you how to get into the Hogwarts kitchens then."

That perked Arcturus's interest. As a young boy he was always hungry and while he was used to getting food whenever he wanted at the Squibs' house, at Hogwarts it had been three meals a day and that's it. He wouldn't mind being able to pop down for a snack every so often.

"Okay," Arcturus conceded. "I'll make you a deal. You show me into the kitchens, and I'll show you those paint orbs."

"With the Permanent Charm. I was red and gold for a week before it finally disappeared."

Arcturus grinned. That part had been a stroke of genius on George's part. Not even the Headmaster had gotten it off. Dumbledore had walked around with a red beard for five days before the magic had worn off. Oddly enough, he'd seemed perfectly content with the colour change, but then Dumbledore had always struck people as a little odd, particularly as he grew up in years.

Despite the early hour and the fact that they were both supposed to be resting on Madam Pomfrey's orders, Arcturus and Tonks stayed up talking for quite some time. As Tonks was in Hufflepuff and Arcturus was a Gryffindor, they hadn't had much interaction beyond their first meeting on the train. But the more they talked, the more Arcturus came to like his distant cousin and wish he could've been sent to live with her and her parents rather than the Squibs. Tonks seemed to understand his ostracism from the family better than the Squibs or Remus even.

"My mom was burned off the family tapestry after she married my dad. He's a Muggle-born. I have two aunts, but I've never met them."

"You don't want to," Arcturus assured her. "My mom was a Malfoy and the Squibs make me go to the stupid dinner parties at Malfoy Manor all the time. It's boring and everyone walks around like they just smelled something rotten."

Arcturus scrunched up his nose and threw it in the air before prancing in a circle like he'd seen the Pureblood elite do so often before. Tonks laughed and snorted as her nose transformed into a pig's snout. As soon as she realized what happened she clamped her hands over her fact and scrunched her eyes closed. A few moments later her nose was human again.

"Sorry," she apologized, flushing a bit. "Sometimes I don't have the greatest control over my morphing."

"You're a Metamorphmagus? I saw you change your hair on the train."

"Yeah. My mother says when I was born my hair was turquoise. It baffled St. Mungo's until one of the apprentices suggested I was a Metamorphmagus. It's very rare and sometimes I can't control the changes. One time I had dog paws for a _whole week_! You don't appreciate thumbs until you don't have them."

"Can you show me now?"

Tonks hesitated and her hand wandered up to her nose, as if to make sure it was still human. "I'd...rather not just now..." she replied.

"Okay, that's fine," Arcturus assured her quickly. "Promise you'll show me later, though?"

Tonks grinned. "You bet. So tell me what it's like in Romania."

By the time Madam Pomfrey came to open the Hospital in the morning, Arcturus and Tonks knew just about all there was to know about each other. They were scolded profusely for staying up and talking when they were supposed to be sleeping, but Madam Pomfrey still released both of them after taking off Arcturus's splint and a brief moment behind the curtains with Tonks. When Tonks came out again she was a little red, but seemed relieved to be getting out. They walked to the main staircase together before Tonks had to go down and Arcturus had to climb up.

"It was nice talking to you, Arcturus," Tonks said.

"Same," Arcturus agreed.

"Maybe you can come to my parents' house for Christmas this year."

"It would be much better than staying here or spending it with the Squibs."

"I'll send them an owl and ask. See you around."

"Bye, Tonks."


	9. Chapter 9: Yuletide Gay

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/14/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: For those who liked Tonks, here's some more. I might be taking a few liberties with existing characters, but these characters were not really explored in the HP Series. Still, tell me if you think their characterizations are accurate. We're coming towards the end of pre-written chapters, so updates might be farther between.

-Katerinaki

Chapter 9: Yuletide Gay

"But you said I could spend Christmas with Tonks and her family!"

"I did no such thing!" Marius replied sternly. "I would never allow a nephew of mine to spend the holidays with blood traitors. You will attend the Christmas Ball at Malfoy Manor as is proper and that will be the end of it."

Infuriated, Arcturus wrenched his head from the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Lee sat in a chair nearby and had long ago learned to recognize Arcturus's temper, especially when it had to do with his aunt and uncle.

"What did they say this time?" Lee asked.

"They said I can't go to Christmas with the Tonks'. I have to go to some stupid ball." He kicked a few fly-away embers back into the grate before stomping back to sit across the table from Lee.

"What's wrong with a ball?"

Arcturus scoffed. "Besides the dress robes and the arrogant Purebloods who will be parading around and calling me 'the murderer's son'? I already told Tonks that I was going. Her parents are expecting us from the train."

It was the night before Christmas break was about to begin and most of Gryffindor common room was empty. Everyone was up in their dormitories, packing their things for the break. The Hogwarts Express would leave the next morning for Kings Cross. Despite all of his detentions and the mid-term exams, Arcturus had been packed for the last week. He'd been thrilled when Marius had agreed to let him spend Christmas with Tonks and her family. But then Marius had Flooed and told him that he was coming back to London so he could attend the Christmas Ball held each year by the Malfoys. Arcturus had been last year and it was just as awful as other parties at Malfoy Manor, the only difference was that he was expected to dance and there were _many_ more people to sneer down at him.

"That sucks, mate," Lee commiserated.

"Well I'm not going," Arcturus declared. "I'll stay at Hogwarts before I go to some stupid ball."

"That's the Christmas spirit, Archie!" Fred and George each took a seat on the couch on either side of Arcturus and slung an arm over his shoulders. "Our little rebel," Fred teased, ruffling Arcturus's hair.

Arcturus shoved him off and flattened his hair out again. "You don't know what it's like."

"Can't be any worse than Christmas with Great-Auntie Muriel."

"But we've got a plan for that this year," George assured them. He and his brother exchanged mischievous nods and Arcturus suddenly felt rather sorry for their Great-Auntie Muriel, though he'd never met the woman before.

"What are you going to do?" Lee asked Arcturus. He knew his friend well enough by now. Arcturus wouldn't simply follow his aunt and uncle's orders.

Arcturus smirked. "Well if I don't show up, I can't imagine they can do much of anything."

The next morning Arcturus boarded the Hogwarts Express with Lee and Tonks. Fred and George had decided to stay behind to do some "exploring", as they called it. In truth they were just looking forward to roaming the castle with little supervision. Many of the professors went home for the holiday too with just a few staying behind to look over those students who chose to remain or didn't have anywhere better to go. Fred and George saw them down to Hogsmeade station. The whole ride there they hinted at a "project" they were working on, though they wouldn't tell Arcturus what it was. That was all well and good, for Arcturus had a hard time concentrating on the conversation and keeping his eyes away from the black creatures that pulled the carriage.

They looked like horses that had not been fed in ages and had lost all their hair. Their skin was leathery and their wings were bat-like. Arcturus could count every bone of its rib-cage and it huffed and stomped its foot, rolling milky-white eyes.

"Are you alright, mate?" Lee asked, looking over to try to see what had Arcturus pale as a ghost.

"Yeah," Arcturus said suddenly, pulling his eyes away. It was obvious the others couldn't see the creatures and Arcturus wasn't in the mood to try to explain what he saw. Maybe he could look it up later when the others weren't around.

Arcturus, Lee, and Tonks got a compartment to themselves. As the train got moving, Lee pulled out a bag of candy which he said Fred and George gave him. He thought they could split it on the ride home, but just one piece taught them never to trust what Fred and George gave them. Arcturus's stomach protested and Lee dashed out of the compartment towards the loo. Tonks's face turned apple green and she groaned, clutching her stomach.

"What was that?" she moaned.

Arcturus looked at the wrapper but there was no image or anything indicating what the sweets could possibly be or where Fred and George got them from.

"That was the last time I eat anything Fred or George gives me," Arcturus groaned. Luckily the effects didn't last very long. Lee returned from the loo after a few minutes and Arcturus was already beginning to feel better. Tonks had returned to her normal tan colouring and Lee, while still looking a bit pale, at least didn't have his head in a toilet.

"I'm sorry," Lee mumbled as he slumped back on the seat by Arcturus.

"Lesson learned, I'd say," Tonks replied and the other two agreed. They settled in for some Exploding Snap to pass the time and when they were bored of that, or in other words when Arcturus had won enough rounds, they pulled out their books to work on their holiday papers. Tonks in particular had a lot of work. She was a seventh year and would have her N.E.W.T.s or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, when they returned next term.

"I'm going to apply for the Auror program," Tonks told them. "But I need top marks on all my N.E.W.T.s"

"Sounds miserable," Arcturus replied as he scribbled a few responses to his Charms assignment. He didn't much care about marks. In fact, he would annoy the Squibs more if he received poor marks. But Arcturus's own pride forced him to at least do the bare minimum to pass therefore he'd been receiving straight Acceptables so far.

"Don't you know what you want to do when you get out of school?" Tonks asked.

"I just want to get out of my aunt and uncle's house. After then, who knows?"

"You should think about it. You're a pretty strong wizard already, for an eleven-year-old."

When they arrived at Kings Cross station, Arcturus made a point of pulling his cap down low around his ears and eyes and staying close to Tonks' side. He glanced around and spotted the Squibs standing at the opposite end, waiting impatiently for Arcturus to come off the train. Luckily Tonks' parents were outside of Kings Cross, apparently having caught some Muggle traffic.

"It's always overly busy during the holidays. Ted Tonks." Arcturus shook Tonks' father's hand.

"And I'm your Aunt, Andromeda."

Tonks' parents were like night and day. While Ted Tonks was fair-haired with a rather large mid section, Aunt Andromeda was tall with dark brown hair and the same Black-family features that Arcturus had inherited. She smiled at him and gave him a gentle hug.

"You remind me of your father when he was younger. He and I were quite close growing up." She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "We kept each other sane."

Arcturus didn't like this comparison though. "I'm nothing like my father," he said rigidly.

Andromeda seemed to understand Arcturus's sudden coldness and nodded. "Of course. You have Lenora written all over you. She had quite the temper too."

The gentle reminder put a damper on Arcturus's rising anger. Very few had even mentioned his mother since he'd come to live in Britain. Even fewer had spoken about her so casually and nobody had mentioned her quick-fire temper that she had passed on to Arcturus.

"Let's get out of the cold," Ted declared, stomping his feet to warm himself up. Arcturus was more than grateful to focus on shoving his trunk in the boot of the Muggle car. He hadn't ridden in one since Bucharest. Magical transportation had been almost non-existent there and his mother _hated_ Apparating. It made her sick every time.

"Have you ever seen a Muggle pantomime, Arcturus?" Ted asked as they drove out of London.

"No," Arcturus replied.

"They do a pretty clever one each year at the local theatre. I find the Muggle ones much better than the Wizard ones."

"Can't say I've ever seen one."

Tonks looked surprised. "_Ever?_"

Arcturus shrugged. "The Squibs think they're beneath them and there weren't very many in Romania."

"Well it's a good thing you're spending the holidays with us then!" Ted declared. "Tell me they at least have crackers."

But Arcturus shook his head and Ted groaned.

"Now I understand why you left, Dromeda."

Andromeda laughed. "Yes, I simply couldn't do without Christmas crackers!"

Arcturus knew, though, when he didn't turn up at Kings Cross, Marius and Ariadne would look for him. He was, after all, their only link to the Black family. The Tonks family residence would be the most obvious place to look, but his aunt and uncle were such that they would stay as far away from Muggles as possible. Ted, being of a Muggle family, made his home in the middle of a respectable suburb surrounded by people who knew nothing about the Wizarding World. Arcturus, therefore, was expecting the owl that tapped at the window. Tonks let the bird in but it nipped at her fingers when she tried to take the note off its leg.

"Arcturus, I believe it's for you," Tonks said, twisting her neck to try to see the address.

"Famous, are we?" Ted joked.

"It's from my uncle," Arcturus murmured. He knew what it would say but he read the letter anyways. Again, Arcturus was glad the Squibs couldn't send Howlers.

"Is everything alright?" Andromeda asked. She watched Arcturus carefully with curiosity and concern.

"My _uncle_ wants me to go to the Christmas ball at Malfoy Manor."

The Tonks looked confused. Well, Ted and Tonks did. Andromeda, on the other hand, was well-familiar with the annual ball held at Malfoy Manor, and how the Black family viewed her family.

"They don't want you staying with us."

"No." Then Arcturus realized how his reply sounded. "But I don't care what they think."

"Well obviously, or you wouldn't have come here without their permission," Ted chuckled.

"I had their permission," Arcturus insisted. "They just took it back. Please don't make me go back to their house."

Ted and Andromeda exchanged wearied looks.

"They are your legal guardians," Ted replied. "We can't keep you here against their will."

But Andromeda was smiling. "However, they would like you to attend the Malfoy Ball and I don't see why you shouldn't. It's been quite some time since I've seen my youngest sister."

And so on Christmas Eve night, Arcturus found himself once more stuffed into his acutely uncomfortable dress robes, only this time he stood in the guest bedroom in the Tonks family home, muttering over his bad luck. The holiday had been rather nice up until then. He'd spent time with Tonks and her family, doing normal things. He hadn't watched television since his mother died, but they had sat around last night watching movies by the fireplace. Arcturus hated that he had to attend this ball and be reminded of all the Pureblood nonsense the rest of his family ascribed to and desperately wished the Tonks would simply let him skive off.

There was a gentle knock at the door and Arcturus tugged at his collar again before he opened the door. Andromeda was in the hallway and Arcturus looked at her attire in confusion. She was dressed in stunning silver dress robes and her brown hair was twisted up in an intricate style. She held herself upright and proudly, but not with the same snobbish airs that he'd seen of the other Pureblood women at these functions before.

"You're going to?"

Andromeda seemed amused. "Of course! You don't think I'd let you go it alone! I've been to enough of these sorts of events in my time."

"But won't they tell you to leave?"

Andromeda smirked. "They wouldn't dare. My little sister is too prim and proper to cause a family scene." She winked and for the first time tonight Arcturus found himself grinning. Tonight just might be alright. If only his stupid collar would stop choking him!

With an over-exaggerated flourish, Arcturus offered Andromeda his arm and the two of them descended to the foyer where Ted and Tonks were waiting. They hooted and cheered as the two of them descended the steps and Ted spun his wife in a tight circle, admiring the figure she cut.

"Arcturus, I'm counting on you tonight," Ted said very sternly. "You need to keep all those Pureblood wizards away from my witch or there will be hell to pay."

"Count on me!" Arcturus promised. Ted and Andromeda shared a kiss and Tonks and Arcturus groaned and made the obligatory gagging noises.

"We shouldn't be too long, but don't wait up," Andromeda told them as they fastened on winter cloaks and prepared to leave. "Come along, Arcturus. Into the belly of the beast we go."

Malfoy Manor was decorated in full holiday splendour. With fairy lights everywhere and more Christmas trees than could be counted, it was obvious the overall intended effect. Andromeda looked around and winced.

"I forgot how bad it was," Andromeda murmured as the two of them stood at the Apparation point, brought up short by the sight.

"We can just go back now," Arcturus suggested. "After all, we came."

But Andromeda seemed to recover her cheery attitude. "Don't be ridiculous, we have to make an _appearance_."

And so the two of them set off down the walk. They were soon joined by other witches and wizards, all bundled up in heavy, fur cloaks with hints of the finest dress robes in all sorts of colours peeking from the bottom. With so many lights decorating the garden and the manor itself, it was easy to recognize those arriving. Many saw Arcturus and while there was still a bit of murmuring, it was not nearly as bad as it had been the first time he'd attended a function such as this. No, the true gossip for the night was the witch he was escorting. Andromeda Black had not been seen at any social event since marrying "that Muggle-born boy" nearly 19 years before.

They arrived at the door and handed their cloaks off to a struggling house elf before joining the rest of the partygoers on the way to the ballroom. As they approached the entrance where each group was being announced, Arcturus found himself growing increasingly nervous and maybe a bit giddy. Andromeda seemed to sense his tension and she smiled down at him reassuringly. When they arrived at the entrance, she gave the elf herald their names.

"Master Arcturus Sirius Black of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and Lady Andromeda...Tonks."

The hall fell silent as all turned to look at them. Andromeda's confidence never faltered but she had to practically drag Arcturus down the stairs and into the ballroom. The hosts awaited them at the bottom of the stairs. Lady Malfoy had gone considerably stiff as she watched their progress while Lord Malfoy raised his nose higher, as if someone had just shoved a particularly rancid piece of garbage under his nose. Still, as Arcturus and Andromeda stepped up to pay their compliments, Lord and Lady Malfoy went through the same motions they had with everyone else, albeit much more stiff and formal.

"Mr. Black," Lucius Malfoy hissed, inclining his head ever so slightly.

"Mr. Malfoy," Arcturus replied, though he couldn't keep the smirk from his face at the way Lucius Malfoy's eyes kept glancing towards his sister-in-law.

Andromeda seemed to think now was an excellent time to abandon all formal propriety.

"Cissy!" she cried, throwing her arms around her younger sister. Narcissa Malfoy nearly fell over and it was only her husband's guiding hand that kept the two women on their feet.

"Andromeda," Narcissa bit back tersely.

"It's so good to see you, and after such a long time!"

Narcissa seemed to be at a loss of what to say. "I—Andromeda..."

"Enjoy the evening," Lucius said crisply. He looked down at Arcturus with narrowed, accusatory eyes and Arcturus gave him a very smug wink. Finally Lucius Malfoy saw him as he truly wanted.

"We certainly will, Mr. Malfoy."


	10. Chapter 10: What the Weasleys Found

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/14/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: Some canon things and again I think I'm pushing the edge of characterization on a few of the established characters. So please let me know what you think. Thanks!

-Katerinaki

Chapter 10: What the Weasleys Found

"And then on Boxing Day, we went to the local panto about Jack and the Beanstalk. The Muggle one, because Ted doesn't like the wizard one a few towns away. He says it's not as clever." Arcturus slumped back in his armchair in Gryffindor tower with a wide grin on his face. It had been the best Christmas since his mother died.

Fred, George, and Lee were all seated with him in the common room and the four of them had been trading stories about their Christmas breaks. Lee had gone home and he and his parents went to France for a skiing holiday. He'd described a fairly spectacular fall which had cost him a trip to the local mediwizard, but after a quick swish of the wand he had been back on the skis and finished the trip with nothing more than a few rough stops.

Fred and George had been rather quiet while Arcturus and Lee had described their holidays. The twins had chosen to stay behind, but Arcturus thought with a nearly empty castle they would have all sorts of stories to tell. However their silence was becoming suspicious.

"What did you two do over the holidays?" he asked.

Fred and George exchanged a purposeful glance and Arcturus knew they had certainly not spent the holiday in Gryffindor tower playing Gobstones.

"Gather around, my chums," Fred said, and the four of them moved in closer around the low table. "This is what we've been doing during the holidays."

He reached into his robes and Arcturus's mind raced with the possibilities. He did not expect the old, discoloured packet of parchment that Fred laid down on the table. He blinked a few times and then laughed.

"Good one, Fred."

"It's just an old packet of parchment," Lee said, confused.

"Is it?" Fred asked.

"If it's just an old packet of parchment, then why did Filch have it in a cabinet marked 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'?"

"Because Filch is a barmy old codger," Arcturus replied. "Everybody knows that."

"And we might've thought that too," George agreed.

"If we had such a narrow mind as yours, Archie boy," Fred added. Arcturus scowled at the jab, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest.

"Alright then, what is it?" Arcturus demanded.

Fred and George grinned from ear to ear. "Watch this."

Fred touched his wand to the parchment. "What are you?"

Arcturus thought surely they were just taking the mickey out of him, but a moment later, lines began appearing on the parchment and these lines soon formed into words.

"_Wouldn't you like to know?"_

Suddenly Arcturus was intrigued. The words faded after they'd read them but Arcturus was already touching his wand to the parchment. "Are you going to tell us?" he asked.

"_Not unless you guess the password."_

"See?" Fred hissed, his excitement clear on his face.

"Do you know the password?"

"That's what we've been working on during the break."

"But we haven't had much luck," George admitted.

"But we thought with the four of us, we could figure it out!" Fred declared.

Lee, ever the voice of reason, finally spoke up. "What if it really is something dangerous?"

"Filch's idea of dangerous is a few dung bombs and a fanged flyer," Arcturus replied. The mystery of the packet of parchment intrigued him and already his mind was racing with ways they might be able to figure out the password. "Have you tried any spells on it?"

"_Revelio_," Fred admitted.

"But it didn't do anything," said George.

Arcturus frowned. If _Revelio_ didn't do anything to the map, then it was under strong protections. He doubted any other spells would be able to help. It seemed that the only way they were going to be able to find out what made this parchment "Highly Dangerous" was to guess the password.

"Let's get to work," he declared.

When Fred and George first revealed the parchment to them, Arcturus thought with four of the cleverest and mischievous minds in Hogwarts working at it, they would have the password within the week. However it was well into the spring months and the four of them were no closer to cracking the parchment than they had been the evening Fred and George first showed it to them. The only headway they had made came with a rather joking try from George. They'd been sitting in the dormitory one night and George had tapped his wand to the parchment saying "I solemnly swear I won't tell anyone else the password".

The parchment had replied with the teasing message "_Close."_ After that it hadn't said anything else, not even when they asked it what it was. The parchment had gone silent and it was infuriating.

"It's probably just one big joke," Arcturus growled, thrusting the parchment across the table when his most recent attempt yielded nothing, again. They were in the library and Lee was actually doing work but Fred, George, and Arcturus were ignoring the fact that they had exams coming up again and had pulled out the parchment for a few more cracks at the password. The vulture-like librarian, Madam Pince, had already been over twice and was sending them more than a few dirty looks, but since they hadn't abused any of her books and still had their schoolwork out as if they were studying, she hadn't kicked them out yet. It would only take one more loud comment from Arcturus, though.

"It's probably an old gag from Zonko's. Trick parchment for people who won't leave you alone."

"But you've seen all the stuff we've tried on it," George insisted. "A cheap Zonko's trick wouldn't hold up to all of that. It would've been incinerated back in February."

When the parchment had gone silent, the boys had taken to trying physical spells on it, but all they had found out is that the parchment never got soggy, never caught flame, and even their strongest Cutting Hex didn't even nick it. Fred and George were some of Zonko's best customers, but even they knew the Zonko's products couldn't stand up to that sort of stress.

Fred was staring intently at the parchment. "Maybe you're right," he said suddenly. "Maybe it _is_ a trick, or a joke. And we've been going about it like the joke is on us. _We're_ the pranksters, we need to start acting like it!"

He pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment. "I solemnly swear that _I_ am up to no good."

And to their astonishment and elation, ink appeared over the whole page.

"You did it!"

"_Mr. Black_, this is a library, not a games room! Out!"

Arcturus hardly cared though. He, the twins, and even Lee quickly packed their things and practically ran from the library. They found the nearest empty classroom and all crowded around the now completely coloured parchment in Fred's hand.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers are proud to present The Marauder's Map!"

Fred and George were giddy with excitement. Even Lee seemed to have forgotten all about his reservations and put his head together with them, tracing over the lines that had appeared on the parchment. It was only Arcturus's face that fell and he turned pale as he took a step back.

"It's a map of Hogwarts!" George exclaimed. "Look, there's the Great Hall, and the Hospital Wing, even Gryffindor Tower."

"And look, it shows where everyone is," Fred added. "There's Dumbledore in his study, and look that's us!"

"Wicked!"

But George noticed that Arcturus did not seem to be sharing in their enthusiasm.

"Are you alright? He asked, concerned.

Arcturus's mind was racing. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Moony was Remus. And Padfoot, Remus had told him about the Marauders and their school day pranks. But he'd never mentioned a map. He probably thought it was lost. After all, Fred and George said they found it in Filch's office and nicked it from a cabinet that said "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous". That means Filch must've taken it from them. His father the murderer had made this.

"Arcturus!"

He blinked and then realized the others were all staring and Fred had just shouted his name at the top of his lungs.

"What's gotten into you?" Fred demanded. "This is brilliant. We don't have to check around corners and more to see where Filch is or worry about Mrs. Norris or one of the teachers catching us. We'll know everything! Where everyone is—"

"—where every_thing_ is," George added.

"The castle will be our domain!"

"I wonder what other secrets this thing hides."

"Only one way to find out..."

"I think we should get rid of it."

Fred, George, and even Lee suddenly looked at Arcturus like he'd declared he had six arms and was running off to join the circus. Then they laughed long and hard.

"Good one, Archie boy!" Fred guffawed, slapping Arcturus on the back.

"You really had us going," George agreed.

But Arcturus wasn't laughing. "I'm serious. We should get rid of it."

The fact that Arcturus _wasn't_ laughing, and in fact stared them down in a way Lee and the twins had never seen before quickly sobered the mood.

"What do you mean, 'we should get rid of it'? Why?"

But how could he explain to them what was going through his mind? None of them knew who the Marauders were, and while Fred and George knew that Arcturus's father was a murderer, they seemed to think it was some big joke. At least, that's always how they talked about it, and Arcturus was fine with that, except when he was faced with something that could very well be...dangerous.

The bottom line was they didn't know what this map was for. Yes, it seemed to show Hogwarts and everyone in it, but it had also coached them as they tried to figure out the password. What other secrets was it hiding? What if, when the Marauders had made this map, Sirius Black was already going bad? He could've planted something in it. Filch thought everything was trouble and should be confiscated, but maybe this time he was right.

But Arcturus couldn't express that to Fred, George, and Lee. As far as they knew, he didn't care one wit about his father or what he'd done. It was a favourite joke for the twins. Lee didn't really bring it up at all.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Arcturus said slowly. "They're obviously nicknames. Who doesn't put their real names on a powerful work of magic like this?"

"Geniuses," Fred replied, almost reverently.

"They are hiding, were hiding. Hogwarts is supposed to be Unplottable. How did they make a map? Not with the Headmaster's permission and maybe they had to use dark magic. I don't trust them, and I don't trust the map. We should destroy it."

"We can't, or haven't you been paying attention the last few months?" George replied.

"Then we should turn it in," Arcturus concluded.

But neither of the twins liked that. "Are you mad? This is coming from the mastermind behind the game day prank that people are _still_ talking about! We finally figure out one of the greatest discoveries of our short lives—"

"—and you want us to _turn it in_?"

No, the twins did not like that at all. But Arcturus wouldn't budge. If there was one thing most adults agreed about him, he was stubborn. He folded his arms across his chest and lifted his nose like he'd seen the purebloods do at the formal dinners and balls.

"It's dangerous," he said with authority and finality.

Fred and George seemed taken aback by his sudden change in demeanour. If they were any other students, they might've listened too. But this was Fred and George Weasley, and if there was one thing they didn't do, it was follow the rules or obey the instructions of others.

"Fine," Fred said at last. "You don't have to use it. C'mon George, let's go try it out." They left the classroom, but not without two identical glances at Arcturus that betrayed the depth of their hurt. Lee hesitated, probably because while he was Fred and George's friend, he was Arcturus's friend first, and his roommate. Lee hadn't wanted to have anything to do with the parchment at first, but when Fred unlocked the secret password he'd been intrigued. Now he seemed torn between the twins and Arcturus.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, before grabbing up his bag and following the twins out of the classroom. Arcturus was left alone and friendless.

"Stupid Marauders," he growled, before taking up his own bag and leaving. He didn't go back to Gryffindor tower like the twins and Lee probably did. Instead he went out to the school grounds and he walked as much as he could until Hagrid the Groundskeeper chased him back inside because it was getting dark. When he returned to Gryffindor tower, Fred, George, and Lee were in the corner of the common room and Arcturus could see they were bent over the map, studying it carefully. They each looked up at him as he passed by, but didn't call him over or ask him where he'd been. Arcturus climbed the stairs to his dormitory and collapsed onto his bed, pulling the curtains. So much for his "friends".


	11. Chapter 11: Moving On

Arcturus Black

By: Katerinaki

Published: 10/22/2014

Beta'ed: No

Notes: This is the last fully-written chapter that I have. The rest I have to work on. That being said, please tell me what you think.

-Katerinaki

Chapter 11: Moving On

After the argument over the Marauder's Map, Fred and George remained cool towards Arcturus and he returned the favour. The result was that Lee was rather unfortunately torn between the two groups. But he still managed to spend time with both and so Arcturus wasn't left completely friendless. In addition to Lee, he would sometimes hang out with Tonks, but as the school year wound to a close and the N.E.W.T.s drew closer, Tonks had less time for talking and most of the time Arcturus spent with her was in the library, bent over a textbook. The unfortunately side-effect of it all was that Arcturus actually studied quite a lot for his end of term exams. But he was bored out of his mind. Remus had sent him a letter just the week before, encouraging him to take these exams seriously as they would be good practice for when he eventually had to take the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s himself. Arcturus was finding that sometimes Remus could be a wet blanket. But that wouldn't stop Arcturus from creating fun.

August Prescott was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and frankly he was a bit of a nutter. He knew about Defense, but had been a rather unfortunately victim of a poorly cast Memory Charm in his youth. The result is that he would often seem to forget something, even if he'd just said it or was in the middle of doing it. In class the result was rather comical and more than a few classes had been spared a pop quiz, simply because Professor Prescott had forgotten the questions. The condition could be further aggravated by stress, such as an unruly student. Or at least, that is what Arcturus discovered.

"...and so in conclusion, a doxy bite must be treated immediately or the situation may turn...em..."

"Severe, Professor?" Ravenclaw, Graham Graves, suggested.

"Yes, severe. Thank you, Mr..."

"Graves, sir."

"Of course. Any questions?"

Arcturus raised his hand from his seat near the back and Professor Prescott suppressed a groan before calling on him.

"Yes, Mr. Black?"

"What if you tried to eat doxy eggs?"

"What?"

Arcturus twirled his quill through his fingertips as he sat back in his chair with his feet on the desk, smirking. "What if you tried to eat doxy eggs?"

"Well...I don't recommend it."

"Would you die?"

"You would certainly become very...em..."

Professor Prescott blinked a few times, looking around as if he was just realizing he was in the middle of class.

"Sick, Professor?"

"Yes, sick. Thank you Mr. Greaves."

"Graves, sir."

"Yes, yes." Professor Prescott turned back to the board, indicating that he was finished with the question at hand, but Arcturus pressed on.

"How sick?"

Professor Prescott sighed, placing the chalk down. He turned slowly and Arcturus knew he had the man just where he wanted him.

"Mr. Barnes."

"Black, actually."

"Take your feet off the desk, please."

But Arcturus only shifted from one foot to the other. "How sick would you be if you ate doxy eggs?"

"Mr. Banks..."

"Black."

"I asked you to take your feet down. I would like to continue the lesson."

"I have lower back problems."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused, Professor."

"Well...em...thank you? What were we—?"

"If you ate doxy eggs..."

"Well I don't recommend it."

"Yes, yes, you've said that. But how sick would you be?"

"Black, enough already," Graves hissed from the front row.

"It's just an innocent question," Arcturus replied. "So how sick?"

Between Arcturus's insistence and the rest of the class's annoyance, Prescott was becoming flustered.

"Now, now, there's no need for arguing. Mr. Gray—"

"It's _Graves_."

"Em right, Mr. Burns—"

"_Black_."

"Em...what was the question again?"

The whole class groaned.

Arcturus grinned, knowing this was it. He spoke slowly, like he was asking a young child. "How sick would you become if you ate doxy eggs?"

Prescott looked around at the obvious annoyance and glares. He fiddled with the chalk in his hand before dropping it. "Well you see, if you eat doxy eggs there will be a trip to St. Mungos and no small amount of vomiting. Now, if we are finished..."

The professor trailed off again before looking around the classroom in annoyance. "What are you all doing here? I dismissed class three hours ago. Get out! Can I not have a few hours of peace and quiet away from you little blighters?" Prescott then ran from the classroom, leaving the door open behind him so that the whole class could hear his screams and cries down the corridor.

The rest of the class only sat for a moment, thoroughly confused and unsure what to do next. But Arcturus certainly wasn't in the mood to waste a perfectly sunny day. He gathered up his things.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I'm going to take advantage of this free period."

Graves the Ravenclaw didn't seem to share Arcturus's sentiments.

"The class isn't over," he retorted. "And thanks to you, the professor has run off. Now we'll be even _further_ behind in this subject than we already are."

Arcturus snorted. "I only asked a simple question. The man is mental. Lee, you coming?"

Lee certainly didn't want to be singled out at a time like this, but he gathered up his books and followed Arcturus out to the dirty glares of the Ravenclaws and some of the more goody-goody Gryffindors. Immediately they made for the school grounds where students with actual free periods were spending their time studying or relaxing on a rare, sunny day.

"Ah, freedom," Arcturus breathed, loosening his tie and throwing his school robe over his shoulder.

"Do you think we should tell someone, about Prescott?" Lee asked.

"Nah, Graves will take care of that. Mark my words, that prat will be Head Boy when we're seventh years."

The two boys strolled down towards the lake where the Giant Squid lazily glided across the water. Arcturus picked up a few rocks and tried to skip them out towards the beast, but his arm just wasn't that good. As they walked down around the edge of the lake, they saw Tonks sitting on top of a rock. Her own bag and school robe were by her side and she was staring at a piece of parchment very intensely. In fact, she didn't even notice that her normal pink hair was actually fading to a more mousy brown.

"Wotcher, Tonks," Arcturus called.

She looked up and her hair went back to its usual, unusual colour. "Arcturus, Lee...I thought you had Defense this hour."

Arcturus shrugged. "Prescott dismissed us early. What do you have there?"

As they came closer, Arcturus could see that the parchment was in fact a letter and it seemed to be rather official. In the top corners were the official crests of the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Tonks held the paper carefully and almost with reverence. Arcturus remembered holding his Hogwarts acceptance letter the same way when it at last came.

"I got in," Tonks said quietly. "I'm going to be an Auror."

Arcturus's jaw dropped. Of course he knew that Tonks was applying. She'd spoken about it before, but only as a fantasy, something that she would love to do when she'd graduated Hogwarts. It was nearly impossible to be selected for Auror training. Not only did you have to be at the top of your class, but you needed all sorts of extra credentials. Tonks was a fantastic dueller. Arcturus had seen her beat just about every other student in Hogwarts' duelling club. He knew she was good, but his mind was having trouble seeing Tonks as a stone-faced Auror. Tonks who tripped over her own robe hem and wore her hair bubble gum pink. She wasn't even a prefect.

"That's...amazing!" he exclaimed at last.

Tonks chuckled and then that chuckle became a full out laugh and she leapt off her rock, tackling Arcturus in an extremely enthusiastic hug.

"You don't know how happy I am!" she told him, as they tried to keep their feet. "An Auror. Me!"

"Congratulations," Lee said, smiling. "When do you start?"

"It says this summer," Tonks replied, looking at the letter of acceptance. "Pending my N.E.W.T. results. I need to go study!" Tonks gathered up her robe and bag.

"Wait," Arcturus said, grabbing her arm. "You told Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted right?"

Tonks blinked in confusion before realization came through. "Oh, no! I completely forgot. I should go owl them now! Then I'll study. Don't get into trouble," she called as she raced off towards the Owlery. She stumbled and dropped her bag, but was back on her feet and running the next second.

"An Auror," Arcturus snorted. But despite his sarcasm, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Tonks was going to be an Auror, what she'd dreamed of since she was little and would pretend to fight bad wizards with sticks from the backyard. Aunt Andromeda had showed him some of the photos on his last visit. He truly was happy for his cousin.

"Do you think you could be an Auror?" Lee asked idly.

Arcturus scoffed. "Why would I want to? You have to be good and follow the _rules_."

Lee laughed. "Yeah, I suppose that would be impossible for _you_."

"Not impossible. But why would I ever want to? It's so much more fun this way."

The two boys continued on down the lake, chattering now with all thoughts of classes well behind them.

"Do you think Tonks would arrest me, when she's an Auror?"

Lee's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Have you done something to be arrested?"

"No. Not yet. But if I did, do you think she'd do it? I mean, my father is in Azkaban, and 'blood will out', as the rest of my family thinks..."

"I don't think you'd do anything to go to Azkaban over. And I don't think they'd send Tonks to arrest you."

"True," Arcturus conceded. He remained thoughtful a moment before shrugging. "I'd stuff her in a fight anyways."

That night at supper, Arcturus noticed that Professor Prescott was absent. This wasn't uncommon. The professor often would forget to come for meals, or sometimes he would forget how to find his way to the Great Hall. Once Filch had found him up on the sixth floor, hopelessly lost and trying to ask a suit of armour directions to Cornwall. The story had been a favourite of the Hogwarts gossip mill for quite some time after that. This time, however, Prescott wasn't going to show up halfway through the pudding. Instead, Professor Dumbledore stood and a hush came over the students and faculty.

"As I am sure many of you have heard Professor Prescott has unfortunately been forced to resign his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He suffered a very traumatic breakdown this afternoon and will not be able to finish out the term. His classes will continue as scheduled, however there will be no final exam in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

There were a few low cheers and plenty of whispers that were silenced by a stern look from Dumbledore.

"I am certain you are all very disappointed. I ask that you do your best in these next few weeks and have patience. Thank you."

As the Headmaster took his seat, he very specifically looked at Arcturus and Arcturus knew Dumbledore was aware of all that happened the past afternoon. The Headmaster just had a way, a very eerie and unsettling way, of knowing everything.

"Well done, Archie," George said suddenly, taking a free seat across from Arcturus.

"Yeah, well done," Fred added, settling next to him. "You've managed to do something we haven't."

"And what's that?" Arcturus asked cautiously.

"You broke a teacher."

"That takes skill."

"Proper planning."

"And no small amount of luck."

"So, you guys aren't mad at me?"

Fred and George laughed.

"Archie, my boy," Fred said, slinging an arm over Arcturus's shoulder.

"Don't be so _Sirius_!"


End file.
